"'I saw him standing on the deck in his white uniform and I knew then that he was the true Messiah... It is a memory I will always have of him…to see him in the flesh like that, even though I know that deep inside he is more than flesh and bones."
-Chief Jack from the Yaohnanan tribe
How the Legend Began
The legend of Prince Philip began before any of the tribe knew he existed. A tale had already been told years before of a white man being born of a volcano spirit before leaving the island to travel across the world and marry a queen. There are two versions of the story: one, that the volcano's spirit joined with a local woman, producing a white child who married a foreign queen; the other is that the child is the son of the spirit and John Frum, the worshiped figure from the John Frum movement, another cult on the island.
The Prince Philip movement formed in the 1950's and 60's, when- presumably- the islanders first saw the portrait of Prince Philip and the Queen in government outposts run by British colonists. They believed that he fit the description of the legend, and this belief was only strengthened when the Duke himself visited Tanna in 1974.
The tribe believes that Prince Philip originates from Tanna and he is a god in human form, containing the spirit of the Messiah. They also state that their own belief in him brings them life. Although they await his return every year, they believe than when his mortal form dies, his spirit will return to Tanna and bring the entire wealth of the British crown back with him.
The Prince Philip movement formed in the 1950's and 60's, when- presumably- the islanders first saw the portrait of Prince Philip and the Queen in government outposts run by British colonists. They believed that he fit the description of the legend, and this belief was only strengthened when the Duke himself visited Tanna in 1974.
The tribe believes that Prince Philip originates from Tanna and he is a god in human form, containing the spirit of the Messiah. They also state that their own belief in him brings them life. Although they await his return every year, they believe than when his mortal form dies, his spirit will return to Tanna and bring the entire wealth of the British crown back with him.