Tanna
A Vanuatu island where the John Frum movement, born in the late 1930s, is still practised, with a yearly ceremony each 15 February and a belief in a leader who will return.
Practised and told of here
Best time: May to October for dry weather. 15 February for the ceremony.
On Tanna, kastom means the way of the ancestors. In the late 1930s, under missionary and colonial pressure, a man named John Frum was said to appear and tell people to return to their traditions and give up money and Christianity. The movement was banned by the British and French, and its leaders were jailed.
John Frum
Followers hold that John Frum will bring wealth and a better world. The movement grew during the Second World War, when American troops brought cargo, and has been called a cargo cult, a term many scholars now reject as a Western label. It is both a religion and a political party in Vanuatu.
Ceremonies
At Sulphur Bay each 15 February followers hold a ceremony, with a flag raised and a dance. Some followers carry red crosses and wear patterns in white paint. The Tanna Prince Philip movement is another group on the island that holds that the Duke of Edinburgh was a spirit, and it is respected as a belief.
Visiting
The Yasur volcano is the main tourist draw. Visits to villages should be arranged with a guide and a fee, paid to the community. Ceremonies are held for the community, not for visitors.
A respectful visit to Tanna
Living communities are not a show. Ask before photographing a person or a ceremony, and follow local rules.
- Mount Yasur View the volcano with a local guide.
- Sulphur Bay village Visit by arrangement with the leaders.
- Lenakel market See island produce.
Written by the EveryJaadu desk with AI assistance. Background: "Tanna (island)" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets and ceremonies change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
