A story appeared in the Post Courier last week about a sex cult emerging in the Wau District located in a remote part of the Morobe Province. The cult leader claims that by having sex in public the locals will automatically experience a bonza crop of bananas.
We might have a giggle at this story (see below) but it is in fact a serious situation. The “Simon Says” phenomenon has its origins in what is commonly referred to as “Cargo Cults” and these resurface from time to time predominantly around coastal areas of Papua New Guinea. A bit more on “Cargo Cults” shortly but first that story from last week:
Sex cult vows banana bonus
Post Courier: story by Sampson Bonai
A SEX CULT – where members are promised a bumper banana crop if they engage in public sex – has surfaced in the Tekadu area of Wau in the Morobe Province. The Banana Cult is headed by a man from Yamine village. The man and his followers have been engaged in illicit public sex for the past four months and have forced other villagers under threat of violence to participate….
What is a “Cargo Cult” ?
Wikpedia: A cargo cult is a type of religious practice that may appear in traditional tribal societies in the wake of interaction with technologically advanced, non-native cultures. The cults are focused on obtaining the material wealth of the advanced culture through magical thinking, religious rituals and practices, believing that the wealth was intended for them by their deities and ancestors.
Cargo cults tend to appear among people who covet this desired equipment but are unable to obtain it easily through trade or established traditions. Given their relative isolation, the cult participants generally have little knowledge of modern manufacturing and are liable to be skeptical about Western explanations. Instead, some symbols associated with Christianity and modern Western society often tend to be incorporated into their rituals as magical artifacts. Across cultural differences and large geographic areas, there have been instances of the movements organising independently.
History
Wikpedia: The history of cargo cults seems to have begun before historical records in these countries of Melanesia, and advances from materials that arrive with foreigners by canoe to sailing vessels, freighters, and airplanes. An indigenous tradition of exchange of goods and objects of wealth was tied to a belief that the ancestors and deities had an influence over these things and prophecies that they would return at some time laden with these objects of wealth for the members of the tribes.
The John Frum Cult
Citizendium: Over the last seventy-five years most cargo cults have petered out. Yet, the John Frum cult is still active on the island of Tanna, Vanuatu, a nation in the south Pacific. The cultists believe that Frum is a spiritual being who will bestow good fortune on believers; his image originates in the appearance and behaviour of World War II U.S. servicemen stationed on the islanders. No individual of that name has ever been traced, so the existence of this individual in the minds of the cult’s followers seems to result from a mix of many influences, including Christian stories of Jesus and John the Baptist. During the 1950s, the naturalist David Attenborough asked their chief whether they were prepared to give up their beliefs now that many years since Frum’s last visit had elapsed. The chief, who had encountered Christian missionaries, replied that if Christians were prepared to wait for 2000 years, they could hang on for longer.
References
- Cargo cult – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- 50 Years Ago: Cargo Cults of Melanesia: Scientific American
- cargo cult Facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com
- Cargo Cults and Other Melanesian Movements
- Cargo cult – encyclopedia article – Citizendium
PS. As a person born into a so called civilised society I find it incredibly difficult to even begin to understand “cargo cult” mentality – in fact it’s difficult to read or hear some of these stories without chucking a little giggle. However as a person that has become immersed in Highlands tribal culture and custom – I am able to catch a glimpse of the why and how of this type of thinking. Change is hitting this country at an alarming rate and people desperately want to find a way to explain, understand and leverage the “new ways”. Think of it like this – imagine aliens from another galaxy landing here with an agenda to colonise and change our ways and thinking. How would you cope?
“Incredibly difficult to even begin to understand “cargo cult” mentality – in fact it’s difficult to read or hear some of these stories without chucking a little giggle” Cargo cults make no less or more sense than all mainstream religions to an Atheist, except cargo cults do not try to intimidate others in joining them.
Actually many are combos of Christianity, just like Christianity is a combo of pagan practices (i.e. baptism).
I lived three years on the island of Tanna, and know the Jon Frum cult tribe, found them to be kind and generous. But the cult (surprise, surprise) is really a weapon of control by the self imposed leaders. One whacko with a super ego did not agree with the status quo and started his own breakaway cult (rings a bell with Christians?), he called it the Fred cult after his name.
Christianity… the mother of all “cargo cults”!
R