Weird Pacific Artefact

[painshill]

cgode wrote:

Hmmmm......if memory serves me.....the natives in the Pacific became accostomed to air drops, after the war the airdrops stopped so the natives made an airstrip and fake planes to try and attract the flying God back to them.....or something close to that.

  Very good Chris... pretty damn close.
Just need the name of the culture (or cults actually), that produce these artefacts. If we don't get it overnight (well it's 11.30pm here) then I'll give you the links to the story tomorrow.

[gregszybala]

Got to admit, I kinda cheated, love the internet!
Thinking this might give someone a bit of a hint, Roger?

[cgode]

Ok, here's what I have.....it is the Cargo Cult, primarily in the south west Pacific. The natives became accustomed to large quantities of cargo during WWII and in an attempt to bring those goods back, they adopted ritualistic practices such as clearing crude airstrips and fake planes in an attempt to mimmick the military personnel that were there before.
Back to your artifact at the beginning of this post......I can only assume it is meant to mimmick the radio headsets used by the military that the natives must have seen being used.
How'd I do?....closer????

[cgode]

But wait.....I found more........"JF".......John Frum....the Island of Tanna in Vanuatu.....not sure what the date you gave was though.

[painshill]

Well done Chris
Spot-on. The coconut headphones were a "cargo cult" artefact. One of many ritual objects used in ceremonies by people with little understanding of modern technology in the belief that it would attract the attention of the gods delivering material goods and wealth to the wrong place. Essentially, the belief that such goods were intended for them. The cult still operates today.
Wiki is probably as good a place to read about it as any:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult

This particular cult was one of many in remote regions of the world and arose, as you say on Tanna Island (now Vanuatu) during WWII. The cult has John Frum as its figurehead... probably a contraction of the generic "John frum America" rather than a real person. February 15th (in an unspecified year) is the date when the islanders believe he will return:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Frum

Much weirdness.
Roger

[cgode]

That was fun Roger, thanks!.....I did use google but only after I remembered something about the picture you had posted of the airstrip and "airplane"...... cleaned out a few cobwebs for me!

[ksrocks]

Roger I think that might be a very crude example of a stethoscope or something trying to represent one?? B) Just a guess I did't use the internet. :whistle: But I guess not!
Joe.

[Dandielyonwine]

Cargo  cults...I think JF is due to return in February.