What is a cargo cult?
Q: What is a cargo cult?
A: A cargo cult is a religious movement that started when tribal societies in Melanesia and New Guinea came into contact with Western civilization.
Q: Why are they called cargo cults?
A: They are called cargo cults because the tribespeople saw Western manufactured goods like radios and called them cargo.
Q: What do members of cargo cults imitate?
A: Members of cargo cults imitate the behavior they saw Westerners do in the hope that some spirits will send them more cargo.
Q: Where were the first cargo cults documented?
A: The first cargo cults were documented in New Guinea, and other countries of Micronesia, Melanesia, and the West Pacific Ocean.
Q: What do members of cargo cults believe about the cargo?
A: Members of cargo cults believe that the cargo was created by their deities and ancestors and that it was made for the members of the cargo cult, but the foreigners have it.
Q: Why do the efforts and rituals of cargo cults happen?
A: The efforts and rituals of cargo cults happen so that the foreigners should get less of these goods and the cult members more of them.
Q: What do members of a cargo cult on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu worship?
A: Members of a cargo cult on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu worship Americans who brought the cargo.
