ABSTRACT
The John Frum movement still functions as an active cargo cult on Vanuatu (formerly New Hebrides), an archipelago north of New Caledonia and New Zealand. The center of the movement is located on the island of Tanna. Tannese people (Ni-Vanuatu) pronounce Frum as Froom. The term cargo cult refers to a revitalistic, or millenarian, social movement from Melanesia that anticipates the arrival of foreign goods to be delivered through magical means. The magical help of ancestral spirits, ritual performance, and the committed belief of followers are considered part of the supernatural power of cargo cults. The arrival of these goods will herald a new age of freedom from foreign domination and the establishment of permanent prosperity and abundance. Cargo cult activity emerged during colonial rule and increased after World War II because of cultural contact with American soldiers.
