These Isolated Tribes Worship Modern Civilization, And The Reason Why Is Absolutely Fascinating.
By
Michael Avery in
Life Style
On 18th January 2016
What would happen if a society was completely isolated from outside world, and the only interaction it ever had with the modern civilization was in the form of food, medicine, and other supplies that seemed to magically fall from strange birds in the sky?
As it turns out, that’s the reality for a few isolated communities in some Pacific islands. And they not only welcome these gifts with open arms, but worship them, too.
#1 A number of secluded settlements in the region of Melanesia — a set of small islands in the Pacific Ocean near Australia — hold a fascinating belief.
#2 They’re referred to as “cargo cults” because they believe that if they perform certain rituals, a savior will reappear to bestow the people with material wealth.
#3 They developed these beliefs because, at one time, foreigners came with flying birds that the natives to the island had never encountered before.
#4 People in cargo cults will often build life-size replicas of the visitors’ vessels as a form of worship.
#5 They also imitate the westerners that they’ve encountered in many ways.
#6 Since most of these visitors came as soldiers during wartime — particularly World War II — cargo cults will often adopt militaristic rituals, such as salutes and daily drills.
#7 Anthropologists suspect that this form of worship arose because these indigenous people have a political system based upon the idea of a “big man.”
#8 In such societies, a person’s value is based upon the amount of wealth that they can bestow upon the greater good. Thus, the westerners with a seemingly endless amount of supplies achieved god-like status.
#9 Though it’s been many years since westerners first made contact with these people, cargo cults often believe that their saviors will eventually reappear to bestow more gifts if they perform the right rituals.
It's amazing what happens when a society is cut off from the rest of the world and suddenly makes contact with strange foreigners. Incredible!
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