Prince Philip was revered as a 'god' by Vanuatu tribe who believed he was incarnation of an ancient warrior
For a tribe in the remote island nation of Vanuatu, Prince Philip was a god. The Prince Philip Movement, a sect followed by the Yaohnanen tribe on the southern island of Tanna in Vanuatu, believed strongly that he was the pale-skinned son of an ancient mountain spirit. An expert reveals that the remote south-west Pacific tribe will be marking his death with ritual wailing and ceremonial dancing.
The villagers believed that the Duke of Edinburgh was a reincarnation of an ancient warrior who left the archipelago to fight a war. The origins of the late royal's divine status are unclear. But ancient tales tell of the mountain spirit’s son traveling to a distant land, marrying a powerful lady and, in time, returning. After his marriage to Queen Elizabeth II, anthropologists believe Philip fitted the bill and eventually became linked to the legend in the 1960s.
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At this time, Vanuatu was an Anglo-French colony known as the New Hebrides. Till his death on Friday, April 9, Prince Philip had maintained a respectful 50-year relationship with the tribe. The tribe's belief was strengthened when he and the Queen visited Vanuatu in 1974, unaware of his reputation among the people. Later, he agreed to a request from the British resident commissioner in Vanuatu that an official photograph of himself be sent to the Tanna-based sect. The villagers reciprocated by sending him a traditional pig-killing club and requesting he be photographed holding it.
Vanuatu tribe in 'grief-stricken' mourning
Kirk Huffman, an anthropologist who has studied indigenous groups in Vanuatu, reportedly said, "I imagine there will be some ritual wailing, some special dances. There will be a focus on the men drinking kava (an infusion made from the root of a pepper plant) - it is the key to opening the door to the intangible world. On Tanna it is not drunk as a means of getting drunk. It connects the material world with the non-material world."
He further told The New York Post that he believes the group will be in "grief-stricken" mourning. "There will be ritual wailing and also a series of dances that encapsulate parts of the island's history," Huffman reportedly said. Huffman added that those in the movement had hoped that someday their deity would visit them and the island in person. However, they now imagine that his "spirit might return to the island".
Jean-Pascal Wahe of the Vanuatu Cultural Center reportedly also told The Post that upon receiving the news, the members of the religious cult will be devastated. "They will be very upset when they hear what happened," he reportedly said before departing to the island to inform them of the recent demise. "The prince was a very important man to us all and it's a great loss," Wahe said, adding, "I was very upset to hear the news myself and it is now my duty to abandon my plans for the weekend with my family to drive to tell the others."
According to the latest reports, villagers were very involved in the worship of Prince Philip - from daily prayers for his blessing of their banana and yam crops to being displayed in photos at the villagers' homes - this particularly includes one of the Duke in a suit in 1980, holding a club made and sent to London by the islanders.
Vanuatu-based journalist Dan McGarry told the BBC that "Though they(villagers) live only several kilometres from the nearest airport, they just made an active choice to disavow the modern world. It's not a physical distance, it's a metaphysical distance. They're just 3,000 years away." The villagers live a simple life in Tanna's jungles and wearing their traditional dress is still common practice while money and modern technology such as mobile phones are seldom used within their own community.
A message for Prince Philip
When the Prince of Wales visited Vanuatu in 2018, he met a man named Jimmy Joseph in the village of Yaohnanen. He was presented with a gift and Charles warmly shook Joseph's hand. "I gave him a walking stick for his father made by the hands of the Prince Philip Movement. I told him a lot of people in the movement have now died but there are some still living," he reportedly said, adding, "The prince said he would deliver the message personally."
The Duke's death leads to the tricky question of who will take his place in the tribes' spiritual pantheon. Discussions are already underway to decide on his successor. But for observers familiar with Vanuatu, where tribal custom usually dictates that the title of chief is inherited by male descendants, the answer is obvious. "They might say, he has left it to Charles to continue his mission," says Huffman.