Dr Adequate writes:
I shouldn't be at all surprised if "John Frum" was (a corruption of) a real name. Which is more likely, that, or that one day a bunch of cargo-cultists just drew a name out of a hat?
Been reading over some old threads and noticed this tidbit. Turns out there's a suggestion that the name originates from military men named John (John from (America), etc.).
The name ‘John Frum’ is sometimes considered a corruption of John from (America), and the cult believe that their saviour will eventually bring more cargo to this island, just as he did during WWII. Although it’s possible that John Frum existed before the 40s, he would most likely have been described as a white man until black American GIs arrived, whereupon the cult’s devotees very sensibly decided that in fact John Frum had been a black man all along.
John Frum Day Google Sightseeing
Another interesting note religion-wise is this from the same article:
Confusingly, the central tenet of John Fruminism2 is actually the rejection of Westernism — devotees are instead encouraged to return to traditional kastom (a local word for native Tannese customs).
It isn’t simply that a religious group can take an event or series of event and get the details wrong, they can also fully embrace confusion like the above. This reminds me a bit of the Christian rejection of Judaic culture.
P.S. Brian hasn't been around for some time. I had always hoped he'd publish a book on the Exodus or some other topic. Anyone aware if he has?
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