11-21-2012, 07:37 PM
I was wondering whether this was real, I remember learning in Anthropology class that the most recent "first contact" scenario was in the 1950s, but my memory gets mighty foggy sometimes.
What I find interesting is the "Cargo Cults" that have begun to spring up around Papua New Guinea. Basically the tribesmen believe that they can get Cargo (what they call western goods) if they can properly mimic the actions of white people, i.e. clearing land for a landing strip, setting up a control tower hut and then having someone sit in there with headphones made out of coconut shells or something and pretend to direct air traffic towards them. White people make fun of these practices but there are instances where it works, where bush pilots will mistake these landing strips for the ones where they are supposed to land and in doing so make contact with the tribe and set up trade.
What I find interesting is the "Cargo Cults" that have begun to spring up around Papua New Guinea. Basically the tribesmen believe that they can get Cargo (what they call western goods) if they can properly mimic the actions of white people, i.e. clearing land for a landing strip, setting up a control tower hut and then having someone sit in there with headphones made out of coconut shells or something and pretend to direct air traffic towards them. White people make fun of these practices but there are instances where it works, where bush pilots will mistake these landing strips for the ones where they are supposed to land and in doing so make contact with the tribe and set up trade.