THE STORY OF A NEW ZEALAND CARGO CULT

This exhibition was first shown at the Artstation Gallery in Auckland in September - 2000.

An second version of the show – with added works and concepts – was shown at Enjoy Gallery in Wellington in November of 2001.

Cargo cults are real but not all of the information below is true.

Historical Background

A cult is a system of religious worship especially as expressed in ritual and the word ‘cargo’ is pidgin English for Western material goods. Cargo Cults are typically to be found on Melanesian Islands such as Papua New Guinea and the New Hebrides. The majority of these cults emerged around the end of World War Two when previously isolated islands became staging posts in the war against the Japanese. Suddenly the islanders were exposed to all the wealth of the West -  canned foods, Coca-Cola, chocolate, cars and planes. Just when they were starting to get used to this new bounty it disappeared as quickly as it had arrived and the islanders were left wondering what they could do to make it come back. The cults emerged as different groups and tribes tried to find a solution. Many of the cultists believed that the visitors had obtained their wealth through magic or the Christian religion. As the first people to show an interest in Pacific populations were often missionaries this belief was perhaps not unreasonable. If the cultists could only unlock the secrets of the Bible the wealth of the whites would be theirs. Other cults, some disappointed that their newfound Christianity had not bought the material dividends they were looking for, rejected this religion and the administration systems imposed on them by the foreigners. They hoped that a return to traditional lifestyles and beliefs would encourage their ancestors to intercede with the Cargo God, or deliver the goods in some way  themselves. Often the cults had a messiah or a prophet - frequently a local person - but sometimes an ancestor or  spirit. Naturally these positions of power were sometimes exploited and some cults were little more than snow jobs in which would-be wealth seekers were parted from what little cash or possessions they had.

“Playing the dishes”, cargo cultists in Marambanja (in New Guinea) “make money” by pouring coins back and forth between bowls.

Occasionally a stash of money is ‘found’ nearby reinforcing members’ beliefs in the efficacy of their efforts. Government officials try to

discourage such activities since cult members often abandon normal occupations in their mystic strivings after cargo.

(Photo – National Geographic Magazine)

No matter what their other beliefs all of the cults were concerned with achieving material wealth in this life rather than spiritual  salvation in the next. In order to realize this goal the cult members used a variety of ritual and paraphernalia. In particular three dimensional models were made of desired  goods and products and wharves, airstrips and warehouses were built to facilitate their arrival.

The Cults Spread West

In the late eighties and early nineties evidence emerged that a new wave of cargo cults had begun to crop up in the West, particularly in America where the word ‘cargo’ was already synonymous with the gaudy gold jewelry worn by gangsters and pop-stars.

A Years worth of Cigarettes ( joined together in groups of four) – My partner really smoked all these in a year – in 2000 it cost her around $2700.

The United States  once had a reputation as a country where anyone with a bit of luck or brains could turn a few dollars into millions. But increases in population and new technology coupled with a lifting of trade restrictions and drops in wages and welfare payments had turned the “American Dream’ into a nightmare for many. Gambling quickly replaced religion as the opium of the people and gigantic state run lotteries spent millions convincing consumers that wealth and comfort were only a ticket away. It became common to see people blowing their entire week’s welfare payment on Lotto tickets or  feeding it into omnipresent slot machines. Luck itself became a marketable commodity. and the big lottery winners came to be treated like saints. A lock of their hair, a piece of their clothing, any of their ‘relics’ became precious and they could earn new millions by selling charms and advice to would-be winners. Advertisements for psychics, fortune-tellers and astrologers filled the papers, the television and the Internet. In this way a ravening desire for wealth led to the formation of the Western cargo cults with all their attendant rituals and figures of worship.

1) ‘You can’t eat it” - $1000 worth of shredded United States currency made into very thick paper and a number high

denomination bills and coins from countries whose economies had collapsed.

2) ‘Car made of Bus-tickets’ – a one sixteenth scale model of a Mark Four Zephyr Zodiac made with almost $700

worth of used Wellington Stagecoach bus-tickets and glue.

3) ‘Television/Video and Remote Control ‘– made actual size – plywood and paint.

As the belief in Christianity faltered in the West the cults gained ground. If there was no such thing as an afterlife it made a lot more sense to look after yourself in the here and the now. Some cults were undoubtedly deceitful with unscrupulous leaders preying on credulous followers but the majority seemed to be motivated by genuine beliefs. Strange shrines popped up in people’s houses as the poor and the dispossessed used different recipes of magic and religion to try and achieve the wealth that they so passionately believed they needed and desired.

‘A Briefcase full of Lotto Tickets’- approximately $65,000 worth of losing Lotto Tickets (Lotto tickets/Briefcase/The mobile phone

is a piece of wood with a photocopy stuck onto it.

The New Zealand Cargo Cults

So it was that Cargo Cults began to establish themselves all over the States, as well as in England, Europe and Australia. In about 1992 it became obvious that a cult had started in New Zealand. With their clothing covered in dollar signs and their pamphlets promising instant wealth the First Secular Church of the Almighty Dollar quickly attracted a following of the poor and the desperate as they canvassed the slums of South Auckland. Other cults rapidly sprang up in Hamilton, Gisborne, Palmerston North and Christchurch. Some were affiliated with groups overseas but most had a distinctly local flavor.

To begin with most cult members were from the Pacific Island community but it was not long before large numbers of Maori and Europeans were also involved. Some groups were more organized than others with meeting halls and a regular sequence of rituals while others placed their emphasis on private systems of worship and belief. It is now estimated that there are some 14 different cargo cults spread throughout the country with some 30,000 members.

The collection of objects in this exhibition primarily come from two groups - Hamilton based, ‘Manna from Heaven’ - and Palmerston North’s -  ‘Disciples of Fortune’. Although the artifacts originate from a number of sources they are displayed as if in the bedroom of a typical cult member. Some of the objects, e.g. the ‘Reliquary Box’ containing the Hair, Finger-Nails and Navel Fluff of a Genuine First Division Lotto Winner (not shown here) have a magical significance and are used in rituals where attempts are made to transfer the Winner’s ‘lucky’ essence from the object itself to the assembled members themselves. Many of the actual procedures are still very secret and not well documented. For the magic to work the objects have to be authentic and as far as we are aware each object in this exhibition is made of exactly what it purports to be.

While it is true that the cults seem to be relatively harmless in themselves the conditions of poverty and helplessness which lead to their formation are a definite cause for concern. Unless a more egalitarian society soon evolves it seems clear that the cults will continue to expand as increasing numbers of people look for mystical solutions to provide the material success that so many of us crave today.

‘The Room of a Typical Cult Member’ – Enjoy Gallery – Wellington 2001.

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