Waiting for John Frum
On an island in Vanuatu, people have waited since the 1930s for a mysterious visitor called John Frum to return, bringing wealth for everyone.
What was reported
In the late 1930s, people on the island of Tanna began to speak of a man called John Frum, who appeared to some of them and told them to turn away from the missionaries and colonial rulers and return to their customs. He promised to come back with plenty of goods for all.
During the Second World War, American troops arrived in Vanuatu with huge amounts of supplies, which seemed to many to confirm the prophecy. Today the John Frum movement holds a celebration every 15 February at Sulphur Bay, with marching, flags and red crosses, and followers say he lives inside the nearby Yasur volcano.
Explanations offered
Nobody knows if John Frum was a real person. Anthropologists describe the movement as one of the Pacific 'cargo cults', but also as a way of keeping local identity alive under colonial rule. It's a living faith, with its own political party.
- When
- Since the 1930s, and every 15 February
- Where
- Sulphur Bay, Tanna, Vanuatu
- Witnesses
- Followers on Tanna
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.