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Cargo cult

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Cargo cults were diverse spiritual and political movements that arose among indigenous Melanesians following Western colonisation of the region in the late 19th century. Typically (but not universally) cargo cults included: charismatic prophet figures foretelling an imminent cataclysm and/or a coming utopia for followers—a worldview known as millenarianism; predictions by these prophets of the return of dead ancestors bringing an abundance of food and goods (the "cargo"),: 11 : 90 typically including a bounty of Western goods or money,: 83, 90 often under the belief that ancestral spirits were responsible for their creation; and the instruction by these prophets to followers to appease "ancestral spirits or other powerful beings" to fulfill the prophecy and receive the cargo by either reviving ancestral traditions or adopting new rituals, such as ecstatic dancing or imitating the actions of colonists and military personnel, like flag-raising, marching and/or drilling. Anthropologists have described cargo cults as rooted in pre-existing aspects of Melanesian society, as a reaction to colonial oppression and inequality disrupting traditional village life, or both.: 85

Cargo cult - Wikipedia Jump to content From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia New religious movement For other uses, see Cargo cult (disambiguation) . A ceremonial cross of the John Frum cargo cult, Tanna island , New Hebrides (now Vanuatu ), 1967 Part of a series on Political and legal anthropology Basic concepts Status and rank Ascribed status Achieved status Social status Caste Age grade / Age set Leveling mechanism Leadership Big man Gerontocracy Patriarchy Matriarchy Elder Pantribal sodalities Chief Paramount chief Polities Band society Segmentary lineage Tribe Chiefdom Petty kingdom House

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