34-543: Whitesands or White Sands is a village on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu . Located on the southeast side of the island near Sulphur Bay , the area is a center of the indigenous Whitesands language and the John Frum cargo cult . It is a growing tourist destination. This Vanuatu location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Tanna (island) Tanna (sometimes misspelled Tana )
68-749: A multitude of revolutionary groups forming in an attempt to create agency and self-government for themselves. During the Second World War , approximately 10,000 Ni-Vanuatu men served in the Vanuatu Labor Corps , a labor battalion of the United States Armed Forces . They provided logistical support to the Allied war effort during the Guadalcanal Campaign . The mass participation of Ni-Vanuatu men in
102-486: A resident appointed by the metropolitan government. The residency structure greatly emphasised dualism, with both consisting of an equal number of French and British representatives, bureaucrats and administrators. Every member of one residency always had an exact mirror opposite number on the other side whom they could consult. The symmetry between the two residencies was almost exact. The joint government consisted of both local and European officials. It had jurisdiction over
136-577: A third Native Court existed to handle cases involving Melanesian customary law. There was also a Joint Court, composed of British and French judges. The President of the Joint Court was appointed by the King of Spain until 1939 when the post was abolished after the retirement of the last President, partly due to the abolition of the Spanish monarchy in 1931. There were two prison systems to complement
170-458: Is an island in southern Vanuatu . Tanna is the most populous island of Tafea Province , and the third most populous in the whole country (after Efate and Espiritu Santo ). It is home to five indigenous languages , which also rank among the most vibrant in the whole archipelago, ranging from 3500 to 11500 speakers. Tanna is the most internationally renowned island of Vanuatu, and has been featured in numerous documentaries or TV shows around
204-478: Is detailed. There are five main languages spoken on Tanna: the southern language of Kwamera and the Southwestern language adjacent to the slopes of Tokosmera, of which there are many dialects spoken by very small groupings, constitute two of the languages. The remaining majority of Tanna islanders speak four dialects, being North Tanna in the northwest, Lénakel in the west-central area near Lénakel, and
238-538: Is one of Vanuatu's three official languages (together with English and French). The island is one of the most fertile in Vanuatu and produces kava , coffee , coconut , copra , and other fruits and vegetables. Recently, tourism has become more important, as tourists are attracted to the volcano and traditional culture. To help preserve the integrity of culture as a tourism asset, only local people are permitted to act as guides. There are various types of accommodation on
272-588: Is set on the island, and was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards . The island is served by Whitegrass Airport . God is American , feature documentary (2007, 52 min), by Richard Martin-Jordan, on John Frum 's cult at Tanna. Anglo-French Condominium New Hebrides , officially the New Hebrides Condominium ( French : Condominium des Nouvelles-Hébrides ) and named after
306-774: Is the centre of the Prince Philip movement , which reveres Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , the late husband of Queen Elizabeth II . The cult is examined by British writer Matthew Baylis in his 2013 book Man Belong Mrs Queen: Adventures with the Philip Worshippers . Five men from the cargo cult were brought to the United Kingdom as part of the Channel 4 reality show Meet the Natives in 2007. Part of their itinerary included an off-screen meeting with
340-484: Is the most populous island in Tafea Province , and one of the most populous islands in the country with a population of about 29,000 in 2009, which grew to 30,770 in 2015. Isangel , the provincial administrative capital, is on the west coast near the island's largest town of Lénakel . Tanna is populated almost entirely by Melanesians, and they follow a more traditional lifestyle than many other islands. Some of
374-644: The Hebrides in Scotland , was the colonial name for the island group in the South Pacific Ocean that is now Vanuatu . Native people had inhabited the islands for three thousand years before the first Europeans arrived in 1606 from a Spanish expedition led by Portuguese navigator Pedro Fernandes de Queirós . The islands were named by Captain James Cook in 1774 and subsequently colonised by both
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#1732773241687408-642: The John Frum cult remains strong on Tanna today, especially at Sulphur Bay in the southeast and Green Point in the southwest of the Island. The documentary Waiting for John (2015) by Jessica Sherry provides a history and overview of the current scene regarding these beliefs. A secessionist movement began in the 1970s, and the Nation of Tanna was proclaimed on 24 March 1974. While the British were more open to allowing its holdings in Vanuatu to achieve independence, it
442-674: The Republic of Vanuatu . The New Hebrides was a rare form of colonial territory in which sovereignty was shared by two powers, Britain and France, instead of being exercised by just one. Under the condominium there were three separate governments – one French, one British, and one joint administration that was partially elected after 1975, when elections to the New Hebrides Condominium Representative Assembly took place. The French and British governments were called residencies, each headed by
476-684: The 19th century. The first on record was the Rose in February 1804. The last known such visit was by the Sea Ranger in September 1871. Tanna was not a principal site of World War II , but about 1,000 people from Tanna were recruited to work on the American military base on Éfaté . Exposure to First World living standards may have led to the development of cargo cults . Many have died out, but
510-512: The British and the French. The two countries eventually signed an agreement making the islands an Anglo-French condominium that provided for joint sovereignty over the archipelago with two parallel administrations, one British, one French. In some respects, that divide continued even after independence, with schools teaching in either one language or the other. The condominium lasted from 1906 until 1980, when New Hebrides gained its independence as
544-549: The choice of which government they wanted to be ruled by. As Miles put it, "The result was an inevitable clash of foreign policy and colonial mentality." Local people could choose whether to be tried under the English common law or the French civil law . Visitors could choose which immigration rules to enter under. Nationals of one country could set up corporations under the laws of the other. In addition to these two legal systems,
578-479: The dual administration produced amazing duplication. There were two police forces with their own laws, including road laws, two health services, two education systems, two currencies, and two prison systems." Additionally, there were separate British and French governments, which meant two immigration policies, two courts (apart from the Joint Court), and two corporation laws. Inhabitants of the islands were given
612-451: The dual concepts of space and time." The island is the centre of the John Frum religious movement, which attracts tourist interest as a cargo cult . The first John appeared at night as a spirit at a place called Green Point beach and told the people to return to their traditional way of life, or kastom. From that time kastom on Tanna has been seen as an alternative to the modernity encouraged by many missionary denominations. Yaohnanen
646-515: The higher altitude villages are known as kastom villages, where modern inventions are restricted, the inhabitants wear penis sheaths ( Bislama : nambas ) and grass skirts, and the children do not go to public school. According to anthropologist Joël Bonnemaison , author of "The Tree and the Canoe: history and ethnography of Tanna," their resistance to change derives from their traditional worldview and how they "perceive, internalise, and account for
680-452: The island to become part of the newly independent nation of Vanuatu on 30 July 1980. Tanna and nearby Erromango were devastated by Cyclone Pam in March 2015, with reports of an unknown number of deaths, complete destruction of the island’s infrastructure and permanent shelters, and no drinking water. Following this, an El Niño -spurred drought further impacted on the people of Tanna. It
714-691: The island. 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 reveres John Frum, 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
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#1732773241687748-409: The islands as there were British, prompting a multitude of petitions to cede power to either the French or the British. Despite this, the two nations came together to form a condominium, a specialised form of government where both nations would have all of their own administrations and jointly rule the islands. The only place they came together was in the Joint Court. As Mander describes, "The Joint Court
782-472: The lake burst down the valley into Sulphur Bay , destroying the village with no loss of life. Mount Yasur is an accessible active volcano which is located on the southeast coast. Tanna was first settled about 400 BC by Melanesians from the surrounding islands. The glowing light of Mount Yasur attracted James Cook , the first European to visit the island, in August 1774, where he landed in an inlet on
816-615: The middle bush dialect in the central plateau of the island, which is very close to Lenakel Whitesands in the northeast near Whitesands . The five languages of Tanna feature among the most populous among all the indigenous languages of Vanuatu : These are grouped into the Tanna languages family, which is a subgroup of the South Vanuatu languages , a branch of the Oceanic languages . Many people on Tanna also speak Bislama , which
850-399: The other, though Bislama creole represented an informal bridge between the British and the French camps. The condominium was not beneficial for Ni-Vanuatu , as they were "...officially stateless. [For instance,] To travel abroad, they needed an identifying document signed by both the British and the French resident commissioners." Inevitably, that led to discontent across the islands, with
884-461: The postal service, public radio station, public works, infrastructure, and censuses, among other things. The two main towns of Luganville and Port Vila also had town councils, but these did not have a great deal of authority. While initial settlers were predominantly British living in Australia, the late 19th century saw an influx of French. Within a few decades, there were twice as many French on
918-554: The prince. In An Idiot Abroad , Series 2, Episode 1, Karl Pilkington visited Tanna and discussed the Prince Philip Movement and met those who visited Windsor Castle . Christian missionary John Gibson Paton served in Tanna in the mid 19th century. Cannibalism was practiced before Christianity swept the island. In the biography of Paton, the horror of the pagan practice of abusing and murdering disobedient wives
952-400: The same meaning. Tanna is 40 kilometres (25 miles) long and 19 kilometres (12 miles) wide, with a total area of 550 square kilometres (212 square miles). Its highest point is the 1,084-metre (3,556-foot) summit of Mount Tukosmera in the south of the island. Siwi Lake was located in the east, northeast of the peak, close to the coast until mid-April 2000 when following unusually heavy rain,
986-406: The southeastern tip of the island that he named Port Resolution after his ship HMS Resolution . In the 19th century, traders and missionaries (chiefly Presbyterian ) arrived. The Tannese stuck to their traditions more strongly than other islands; there remain fewer Christians in comparison with the other islands of Vanuatu. Whaling vessels were some of the first regular visitors to the island in
1020-532: The spirit of peace taught by John Frum lives on in then US President, Barack Obama . While visiting with a family on Fort Stewart , US Army Major-General Tony Cucolo 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. Tanna , a film depicting the true story of a couple who decided to marry for love, rather than obey their parents' wishes,
1054-417: The two court systems. The police force was technically unified but consisted of two chiefs and two equal groups of officers wearing two different uniforms. Each group alternated duties and assignments. Language was a serious barrier to the operation of the naturally inefficient system, as all documents had to be translated once to be understood by one side, then the response translated again to be understood by
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1088-567: The world. This is partly due to Mount Yasur , an active volcano and a major touristic attraction. It is also famous for its vibrant Melanesian culture , through dances and festivals. The island has also attracted the attention of many anthropologists for its cargo cults . The name Tanna , first cited by James Cook , is derived from the word tana in the Kwamera language , meaning "earth". Etymologically, Tanna goes back to Proto-Oceanic * tanoq , from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian * taneq , with
1122-546: Was opposed by the French colonists and finally suppressed by the Anglo-French Condominium authorities on 29 June 1974. In 1980, there was another attempt to secede, declaring the Tafea Nation on 1 January 1980, its name coming from the initials of the five islands that were to be part of the nation (Tanna, Aniwa , Futuna , Erromango and Aneityum ). British forces intervened on 26 May 1980, allowing
1156-522: Was the key to the situation and much was to depend upon it….Three judges–one British, one French, and the third nominated by the King of Spain –were to comprise the court." This meant convictions in court were chosen based on either British or French law, depending on the circumstances. Other than the Joint Court, everything existed in pairs. "Cynics called the Condominium 'the Pandemonium', as
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