h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Cargo Cults - A2131057
Author: MotDoc, Head of the Holy Order of the Knights of the Angered Smiley <grr> - U208372

A collaberation between myself and F/b. Good stuff.

Really good - I didn't realise the cults were so wide-spread, or so convoluted.

Like it


Very minor nitpicking stuff: Could you maybe use a few more paragraphs? Especially in the first few sections. And some space around the s would be nice, too.



cheers
~Bistro

Very good

Pimms

Hi MotDoc

Good job!

It runs much better now and the whole thing hangs together really well

A few typos of course

- (twice)
-
- <...that the missionaries>
-

I agree with Bistroist about more gaps, but that's a minor thing really, that a sub-ed can pick up. Got to give them something to do, after all

F/b

Whilst I appreciate all the points I just wanted to say that this is a fantastic entry

Abserloutly fascinating..

Updated and superior.
-MotDoc

Quite.

whom the the natives knew from Bible stories -> whom the natives knew


~Bistro

Looks really interesting and I'll make time to read it a little later.

Hello Updated and Superior
Looks great


F/b

This is a cracking entry, MotDoc.

There's a small typo needing fixing.

'In preperation for his' > In preparation ...

I'm not clear where cargo cults are now and whether Yali is still alive. Do cargo cults still flourish? From their persistence and evolution, I would suspect the answer is yes.

As it stands at the moment, the entry seems to fizzle out. Perhaps the last subject heading should be 'Cargo Cults today' or something similar.

Hi ZSF

The John Frum cult is certainly still going - have a look at the great link to John Frum Day.

They're all in Melanesia - S Pacific - but started in PNG, which I think MotDoc said in the first couple of paragraphs.


F/b

Although pretty much all other cults in PNG are stamped out, Yali's is still alive and well. I have been unable to establish whether or not Yali is still alive, but apparantly his son has siezed power as governor of Madang and is disrupting the lives of all non-native residents.

This is really fascinating, and quite new to me. I'd never heard of Cargo Cults. Well done MotDoc and Frenchbean!

The only suggestion I have is that the paragraph breaks could be improved around the headers, as has been mentioned earlier.

Many of the people where I live also seem to be devoted to cargo; which, strangely enough, all now seems to originate in China. A number of ambitious colleagues apparently believe that the key to advancing their careers is a devoted worship of Anus.

JTG

I had heard of Cargo Cults previously, however without any detail. All I remember is that people would make decoy aeroplanes out of bamboo to entice real ones to land.

Absolutely fascinating, a rivetting entry, well written, entertaining, hyperbole hyperbole hyperbole, sorry, this is one of the most interesting things I've read in ages, really. I'd vaguely heard the phrase "cargo cult" before, but never known it referred to something so complex or so old - I'd thought it dated only from WWII.

What an eye opener.

Another reason why anyone attempting to cross a border with the word "missionary" on their passport should be dragged away and shot...

I really enjoyed reading this article as I found it informative and interesting. I also rather liked the way the political edicts the backdrop of religion throughout.

Amused0

Look F/b...rave reviews!

I know MotDoc

Mind you, it's 80% rave reviews for you alone: I didn't do much really. Well done you!


F/b

Hi there MotDoc & Frenchbean!

I think that you two have chosen and excellent topic for an entry. There may be just a bit more research you will have to do, however.

While the cargo cults may have become more popular "almost immediately after the arrival of the 18th century Russian explorer Miklouho-Maclay", this is not there actual origin.

The cargo cults began, much earlier, based on the local beliefs that ancestors (when they died) went to a better place, a place of bounty; and, would someday return bearing cargo of wealth and goodies.

The original belief was that canoes full of ancestors and cargo would bring prosperity.

This belief system was so ingrained that every time a new people reached their shores, they assumed that these were their ancestors in a somehow evolved form. The canoes (ships) were so large and impressive that it made them seem all the more god-like. It eventually grew to include aircraft, the ultimate magical canoe.

You can read about these beginnings in "Cows, Pigs, War, and Witches", which wonderfully covers a myriad of sociological phenomenon about how belief systems are formed and evolve.