This truly fascinating South Pacific archipelago cult phenomenon, most widespread during and after World War II, was an unintended consequence of the colonization of areas with small populations and little exposure to modern technology. Members of a “cargo cult” see technological imports as magical artifacts coming from deities; they believe that the white man's activities on their islands are rituals to appeal to the gods to send more “cargo”. The John Frum cargo cult has prophesied a time in the unspecified future when the white messiah Frum (whose existence is debatable, albeit quite plausible) will return with enough cargo for everyone. In an attempt to provoke this second coming, cult members crudely imitate white culture, making mock runways, air traffic control towers, radios, and even to-scale planes (as pictured), out of island materials like wood and leaves.
In this context, the term “cult” seems somewhat unfairly pejorative; many religions that are taken seriously today are based on a similar historical misunderstandings of the world and the way it works; shouldn't a religion that claims the earth is 6,000 years old be provided a similarly condescending indicator? Apparently not. Oh well.
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