Cargo cults is the name given to a large number of intense and short-lived religious movements in the South Pacific islands. They are called cargo cults because they all speak of the arrival of large shipments of Western goods. In Pidgin English, a language that consists mainly of words from English and the island languages, the word kago refers to goods found in shops, as well as telephones, cars, jeeps, and airplanes. A cargo cult begins when a leader takes on the role of a prophet. The prophet preaches that a time will come when all the evil will be gone and ancestors or gods will return, bringing cargo with them in ships or airplanes to improve the well-being of all the living. Followers may build docks or runways to receive the cargo.
