Planes made of straw and headphones made of coconuts: how the Americans almost killed the islanders (9 photos)

When we hear the word “cult,” we most often think about some kind of sects, scammers and other terrible things. But today we will talk about something else. About the Cargo Cult, which, although it does not harm anyone, still causes fair surprise among many people.





It is not written about in textbooks or shown on TV, but it helps to better understand the way of life and thoughts of the island natives.

What kind of cult is this?



Pacific natives belonging to the Cargo cult

Cargo cult - often called airplane worshipers, although this definition is not entirely correct. The natives of the Pacific Islands believe that airplanes are supreme beings through which their ancestors send gifts to them. Therefore, the “ministers” of this cult began to build entire airfields made of straw on their islands, which looks extremely strange from the outside.

But if you know the mentality of the natives, then there is nothing surprising in such a manifestation of adoration. The islanders simply believe that like attracts like, so if they build airplanes out of straw, sooner or later real airplanes will come to them.

Where did the Cargo cult come from?



70s of the last century, the first buildings of the Cargo cult

And here we must understand that the Cargo Cult is a relatively new phenomenon, which dates back to the second half of the last century. American military forces were then based on some of the Pacific islands, attracting the attention of the natives.

At first they were mistaken for higher creatures and even for the spirits of ancestors, but then... then all attention shifted from people to iron birds. They were the ones who flew, they were the ones who brought food. That's why it was worth reading them!



Cargo cult today.

Realizing that the planes brought provisions, which the Americans generously shared with local farmers, the natives began to build their own planes - as a symbol of respect and worship.

However, there were few planes, so the islanders began to recreate other American infrastructure: observation towers, radars and even cars. And all this is made of straw, sticks and coconuts. In general, from what can be found underfoot.



Cargo Cult Goggles and Radar, Present Day

For decades, representatives of the cult completed their planes, turning the island into some kind of museum of modern native art. It got to the point that some tribes began to build airplanes so actively that they were simply left without food.

Instead of hunting and gathering, they built radars, playing at being Americans! Of course, the United States had to feed the poor fellows, but this only led them to strengthen the belief that they were doing everything right! It turned out to be a vicious circle.

Manipulative aspect



Cargo cult, archival footage

And here I want to emphasize that everything said below is solely my personal opinion. But cult followers may not be as primitive as we think. Yes, their ancestors, who first saw the iron birds, could interpret the situation in their own way, but the modern, younger generation wears jeans and drinks Coke. And he continues to believe in airplanes.

And, of course, I was not on the shores of the Pacific Ocean to declare anything authoritatively, but perhaps there is a small element of manipulation in this whole story with the worship of airplanes. There is a small chance that modern cultists simply don't want to work. What for? They will be given everything anyway.

And this does not mean at all that these people are scammers, no. Pure psychology is at work here. No child will become independent if his mother does all the work for him. And if we consider this people as a child, our “adult” culture is slightly... overprotective of the natives, not allowing them to develop themselves, taking away the motivation for this.

Is the Cargo Cult a religion?



Cargo cult helicopter, present day

This moment haunted me for a very long time. And in my opinion, no. Supporters of the cult have simply not yet reached the level of development of thinking that would allow them to create a full-fledged faith. Currentlyperiod of their life, I would classify their worldview as mythological. It stands one step lower than the religious and is its predecessor.

In other words, this is the same totemism or fetishism through which the natives understand the world, explaining phenomena and objects of reality that are incomprehensible to them. They simply fill in the gaps in their scientific knowledge with “fairy tales” or myths about their ancestors. After all, it’s much easier to believe in this than in flying iron birds.

Fetishism is the cult of inanimate things, expressed in the deification or blind worship of these things. Wikipedia



Cargo cult, archival footage

Why is the Cargo cult interesting?

The fact is that all existing and currently known cultures, at the time of their acquaintance with modern civilization, already had a certain worldview and idea of the world. In the case of Cargo, we witnessed the development of this thought, the formation of a worldview.

And this is a key point for many researchers, which can allow us to better understand our ancestors, unravel the mysteries of philosophy and confirm some psychological theories. After all, we are essentially witnessing the emergence of a new picture of the world and the rapid evolution of an existing one.



Cargo cult, archival photographs

At the moment, they are trying to socialize the supporters of the Cargo cult: the natives have food, clothing - everything necessary for life. In essence, they are modern people, without high knowledge in scientific fields, but still. They communicate with the outside world, they take excursions to them - there are actually fewer and fewer believers every year.

Given the rate of growth of the globalization process, one day the day will come when Karyo will disappear, remaining just an entertainment for tourists.

And who is to blame?

However, this does not negate the main thing: the guilt of the Americans, who got involved with the savage tribes with their way of life. The soldiers liked to play gods by treating the natives with their food. And if at some point in time it really seemed funny, then later - not so much. After all, these people could really die from hunger.

And this brings us to the main idea - you shouldn’t take your charter into someone else’s monastery. Perhaps these natives did not need help in the first place. But now they simply will not survive without it - over the long years of inactivity, many skills have been lost, and the craft has been lost.