Whitesands
Encyclopedia
Whitesands or White Sands is a town on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu
. Located on the northeast 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.
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
. Located on the northeast side of the island near Sulphur Bay
Sulphur Bay
Sulphur Bay is a bay on the eastern side of Tanna island in Vanuatu. Nearby is Mount Yasur, called the world's most accessible volcano, and the area is the center of the John Frum cargo cult, a movement that believes their savior, an American World War II GI, resides within Yasur...
, the area is a center of the indigenous Whitesands language
Whitesands language
Whitesands is a language spoken on the eastern coast of Tanna Island in Vanuatu. It is closely related to the North Tanna and Lenakel languages....
and the John Frum
John Frum
John Frum is a figure associated with cargo cults on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu. He is often depicted as an American World War II serviceman, who will bring wealth and prosperity to the people if they follow him. He is sometimes portrayed as black, sometimes as white; from David Attenborough's...
cargo cult
Cargo cult
A cargo cult is a religious practice that has appeared in many traditional pre-industrial tribal societies in the wake of interaction with technologically advanced cultures. The cults focus on obtaining the material wealth of the advanced culture through magic and religious rituals and practices...
. It is a growing tourist destination.