Not content to keep funding expeditions of Westerners to learn about Tanna, in 2007 the National Geographic funded an expedition of five men from Tanna's Prince Philip movement cargo cult to visit England, stay with families, and eventually meet Prince Philip himself whom they revere as the son of their God. Jimmy, who was a member of the expedition and the narrator for the film has posted the video on his youtube account. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In 2009 the Travel Channel aired Meet the Natives: USA, which brought five men from another group from Tanna to the United States. Their tribe within Tanna reveres Tom Navy, an American World War II sailor who generations ago had taught the inhabitants to live in peace. The Tanna ambassadors were taken across, visiting five states, and eventually meeting former United States Secretary of State Colin Powell and verifying with him that the spirit of peace taught by Tom Navy lives on in the current U.S. President, Barack Obama. While visiting with a family on Fort Stewart, a US Army Major-General conferred a World War II Victory Medal and an Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal upon the chief in representation of the contribution the people of Tanna in World War II. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Be sure to look for Jimmy's responses to questions in the mercifully uncharacteristic youtube comments [more inside]
posted by Blasdelb on Oct 31, 2011 - 16 comments

Kava: "a slightly bitter, slightly frothy, aromatic, resinous brew capable of inducing tranquility and an ultimate sense of wellbeing" [more inside]
posted by Paragon on Jan 4, 2011 - 45 comments

Two examinations of the Tanna island prophet known as John Frum. Both with very unusual points of view. God is American parts 1, 2, 3, & 4, and Nate DiMeo's Memory Palace podcast. [more inside]
posted by Toekneesan on Oct 17, 2010 - 14 comments

At first glance, Vanuatu looks like your average island community in Oceania, where there's plenty of sightseeing, you can buy a house if you decide to stay, or open an international business if you need a tax haven. But it is also host to some of the most remote and untouched bush tribes in the world.
posted by evening on May 6, 2003 - 13 comments

US Agency Says El Nino Pattern Emerging
Vanuatu decided this a few days earlier, and told its residents to start conserving water (1).
    In 1997, a major El Nino pattern created droughts in the Pacific followed by floods toward the end of the year (1, 2). I think one can reasonably attribute fires in Australia to El Nino influenced dry spells and high temperatures (1). If you care to make your own predictions, the number to watch is the SOI.
posted by rschram on Jan 21, 2002 - 4 comments