James Flynn

Sometime during the second world war, the american army decided to build various air bases around the island of Vanuatu and Tanna island.  These remote islands are found just east of australia, and very close to Fiji.  At the time of the American's arrival these islands were inhabited by the Tanna/ Vanuatu tribes, who interacted fairly well with the american troops at the time, and recieved certain food and supplies in payment for the americans being there.  This kind of arrangement happened on several different islands around this area at the time of the second world war.

Various activities took place over the islands, right in full view of the tribal natives.  Military planes landed on runways that were dug out by troops on the ground, food supplies were parachuted down from the air, and the military bases had fairly sophisticated arrangements such as offices and canteens.  On top of all this, naval ships could occasionally be seen around the islands at times.

Of course, this was ordinary, run of the mill activity to the american troops, but the tribes that occupied those islands at the time had been living in isolation and had not seen any kind of technology like it before.  They were so impressed and captivated by the sight of these planes and ships that overtime they became convinced that this cargo and military equipment, and everything else that they were witnessing was the work of some kind of god.  Technology like this was such a magical sight to them, that it was inconceivable that it could be anything other than the work of a supreme being.  Another spect which helped to convince the tribes that something magical was going on was the fact that no soldier was ever seen to be hunting or gathering, yet they always had food.  For a tribe this was very strange indeed, and just added to the mystery of it all. 

Various tribes on different islands reacted slightly differently to the military activity, but many tribes came to the conclusion that the precious cargo and supplies that they had seen flying down from the sky was being sent down for them by their ancestors, and that the white men had simply discovered a way to lure it down and intercept it from them. 

Eventually the American troops moved on, and the islanders went back to their usual style of living, left alone on the islands once more.  The ships and planes that the tribes had witnessed were no longer seen around the islands, and so the people of Tanna and Vanuatu soon started to do their very best to lure the planes back themselves.

While the army base was on their island, the men and women of the tribes had studied the actions of the military personnel very closely.  They had watched on as the soldiers spoke into radios, sat at desks shuffling paperwork and sometimes marching and performing military drills.  They concluded that the soldier's actions must have been ritualistic behaviour, designed solely for the intention of luring the gods to send down more planes and supplies.

Before long, the people of the islands began making their own makeshift runways, complete with control towers at either end, which they made from bamboo.  Quite often they even made large scale planes that sat on the runways, which were also made from bamboo and sticks, just for extra effect.  They thought that the runways that the white men had built were there to coax down the planes from the gods, and they were now trying to do the same for themselves. 

The tribes had seen soldiers talking into radios, so they also carved out their own radios from wood, and spoke into them, believing that it would trigger more supplies flying in from the heavens, or a magical plane from the sky.

Some occasions have been observed where tribes have performed military drills and parades with rifles hand carved from wood, imitating the actions of the soldiers that had occupied the islands.

The fascinating part of this story is that it perhaps reveals something about the human psyche.  All over the world, humans have a tendency to worship a particular god, and the cargo cults may reveal to us that it may be a kind of built in tendency to expect there to be a god up in the sky, looking over us.

It has been speculated by some that this story highlights Arther. C. Clark's third law, which states "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

Some of the cults that arose during the second world war can still be found on the islands today.  Here is a short video which brilliantly captures the essence of what they are all about.

Enjoy....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmlYe2KS0-Y