|
 |
|
|
| Missing In Action (MIA) | Prisoners Of War (POW) | Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) |
| Chronology | Locations | Aircraft | Ships | Submit Info | How You Can Help | Donate |
|
 Vanuatu Travel 2020 |
Location Tanna Island is located in Tafea Province in southern Vanuatu (New Hebrides). Sometimes misspelled Tana. Mount Tukosmera is located at the southern end of the island. To the north is Erromango Island. Wartime History During the Pacific War, Tanna Island was not directly impacted but roughly 1,000 men from the island were recruited to work on Efate and were exposed to U.S. military personnel, bases and material wealth collectively dubbed "cargo". When these laborers returned home to Tanna, they began the John Frum Cargo Cult as a movement that hoped to attract "John from America" and cargo to Tanna. John Frum Day is an annual celebration on February 15th in the villages bordering Sulphur Bay and Lamakara. Each year, a ritual army of men paint “U.S.A.” on their chests and perform an amalgamation of a military drill and kastom dances with wooden guns. They raise the American flag, build WWII airplanes out of grass, and build a makeshift landing strip, all with the expectation that John Frum will return with more cargo. References Cargo Cult: Strange Stories of Desire from Melanesia and Beyond (1993) by Lamont Lindstrom Waiting for John (2015) by Jessica Sherry Tanna Times: Islanders in the World (2020) by Lamont Lindstrom Vanuatu Travel - John Frum Day Contribute
Information Last Updated
|
 Map Mapcarta |
| Discussion Forum | Daily Updates | Reviews | Museums | Interviews & Oral Histories |
|
