# Humanities & Anthropology > Philosophy >  John Frum - the white American God (and the cargo cults)

## Tomenable

Genetiker on his blog writes a lot about his imagined white Gods, but he forgot to mention the real one, John Frum: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Frum

http://learni.st/users/dave.stanclif...of-cargo-cults

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yali_(politician)

John Frum is an anthropomorphic deity (he looks like a U.S. Marine soldier), worshipped by some Melanesian tribes.

He is "the sacred bringer of cargo". They build fake airports, hoping for John Frum to send them planes with cargo.

----------


## LeBrok

This is unbelievable eye opener on human nature and culture. I've found it during my research into nature of hunter gatherers.

----------


## Angela

The part about a leader arising who preaches a return to traditional practices reminds me of the "Ghost Dance" religion among the American Indians.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Dance

Also, any readers of the Frank Herbert "Dune" series here? The Bene Gesserit, the "witches" in that series would plant legends of mind reading female spiritual leaders so that if a Bene Gesserit ever found herself on some far planet and needed help, the way would be prepared for her. 

I highly recommend the series by the way; there's a tremendous amount of wisdom in it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(franchise)

----------


## Yetos

> . They build fake airports, hoping for John Frum to send them planes with cargo.


haha  :Laughing: 
like monotheists, they expect second advent, the day of reckoning, or virgins and rice,
others expect ressurection,
other expect Jesus to come,
other dream of 1000 virgins after life, 

I believe their religion is more realistic, 
it is more possible one day John Frum to land there bringing some aid, as a relief for a tsunami or an earthquake etc,  :Grin:

----------


## Tomenable

> I've found it during my research into nature of hunter gatherers.


These guys who believe in John Frum are actually Neolithic farmers, not hunter-gatherers.

Papuans were among the early pioneers in agriculture:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...riculture.html

----------


## Tomenable

BTW - check also: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Philip_Movement




> *The Prince Philip Movement is a religious sect followed by the Kastom people around Yaohnanen village on the southern island of Tanna in Vanuatu. It is a cargo cult of the Yaohnanen tribe,[1][2] who believe that Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the consort to Queen Elizabeth II, is a divine being.*


And here a documentary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFKfqrdP6xs

----------


## RobertColumbia

> This is unbelievable eye opener on human nature and culture. I've found it during my research into nature of hunter gatherers.


Yes. It helps us understand how religions form and how seemingly mundane occurrences can be reinterpreted to fit someone else's world view.

----------

