Jim Thomsen - John Frum Cargo Cult First Hand Account
Hour 1: Jim’s background; John Frum deity; the end of cannibalism; Tanna volcano - flying rocks; possible colonization of South America and Easter Island; clothing; technological limitations; authenticity of rituals performed by natives; diet and agriculture; Hawaii versus Vanuatu Melanesian peoples
Hour 2: John Frum Messianic Millenarianism; cargo cult purpose; is John Frum a cargo cult?; Summary of Jim Thomsen’s book “ Searching for John Frum: Quest for the True Story of the John Frum Movement: Is it really a Cargo Cult?”; kava drinking; relationship between the genders in Tanna / Vanuatu; Kastom; magic; British / French / American / Western colonization; Tanna Port Resolution Bay lagoon; happiness levels of Oceanic peoples; racial categories; sand drawing; scuba diving shipwreck; magical elements of Melanesian culture; control of weather; medicine men / shamans; ritual dance; altars; magic stone; economy; Tanna movie
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Jim Thomsen attended UCLA - studying mathematics and philosophy. His interest in mountaineering led him to start an outdoor company in 1972: Wilderness Experience. The company grew rapidly and completed a public stock offering in 1980.
After owning two mountaineering retail stores and being a partner in a sales representation organization, in 1994 Jim took a corporate job with JanSport, part of the VF Corporation. In 2000 Jim and his wife Katie moved to Belgium to head up an international division of VF that included JanSport, Eastpak and Kipling.
Jim retired in 2005, and he and Katie purchased a sailboat in the Netherlands. For the next 10 years they sailed the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, the Caribbean, thru the Panama Canal and across the Pacific to Tahiti, Tonga, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Thailand. During this time they sailed 50,000 miles and visited 50 countries. Their favorite country was Vanuatu and especially the island of Tanna. After a month long visit in 2011 they returned the following year for another month. It was during these visits that they got to know the chief and some of the members of the John Frum
Movement.
Currently their sailboat, Tenaya, is in Venice, Italy and they are spending the winter in Mammoth Lakes, California.
Jim and Katie Thomsen's website: http://www.tenayatravels.com
Watch 1st Hour on YouTube:
