Cargo cult....They call it " Gift from the skies "

Cargo cult....They call it  " Gift from the skies "

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In the late 19th century certain millenarian movements started to form in the Melanesia, which subsequently became known as Cargo cults. The name derives from the apparent belief that various ritualistic acts will lead to a bestowing of material wealth ("cargo"). The Melanesians believed that Western goods are created for them by the spirits of their ancestors, but are controlled by the white people by means of deceit. This cult’s specific trait is that its religious practices involve imitation of aviation-related operations.

The most widely known period of cargo cult activity occurred among the Melanesian islanders in the years during and after World War II. A small population of indigenous peoples observed, often right in front of their dwellings, the largest war ever fought by technologically advanced nations. The vast amounts of military equipment and supplies airdropped to troops on these islands meant drastic changes to the lifestyle of the islanders, many of whom had never seen outsiders before. 

The cult leaders explained that the cargo would be gifts from their own ancestors, or other sources, as had occurred with the outsider armies. In attempts to get cargo to fall by parachute or land in planes or ships again, islanders imitated the same practices they had seen the soldiers, sailors, and airmen use. Cult behaviors usually involved mimicking the day to day activities and dress styles of US soldiers, such as performing parade ground drills with wooden or salvaged rifles. The islanders carved headphones from wood and wore them while sitting in fabricated control towers. They waved the landing signals while standing on the runways. They lit signal fires and torches to light up runways and lighthouses.

Many even built life-size replicas of aeroplanes out of straw and cut new military-style landing strips out of the jungle, hoping to attract more aeroplanes. The cult members thought that the foreigners had some special connection to the deities and ancestors of the natives, who were the only beings powerful enough to produce such riches. Nevertheless, as the practises didn’t result in returning of the airplanes with the cargo, most of the Melanesians subsequently abandoned their beliefs.

Although most cargo cults have disappeared over the last sixty-five years some of then are still active. One of the most widely known of the latter is theJohn Frum cult on formed on the island of Tanna, Vanuatu. This cult started before the war, and only became a cargo cult afterwards. Cult members worship certain "Americans" (such as John Frum and Tom Navy), who they claimed had brought cargo to their island during World War II, as the spiritual entity who would provide the cargo to them in the future.

Source and photo: Wikipedia