Prince Philip: Island tribe will wail for the man they worshipped
The group, based in villages on the island of Tanna in the former Anglo-French colony, revered the Duke of Edinburgh and believed him to be a reincarnation of an ancient warrior who left the island to fight a war.
The heavily spiritual group in Yaohnanen and surrounding villages felt the leader of the fighters would return to the islands with a rich white wife.
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Hide AdKirk Huffman, an authority on what is known as the Prince Philip Movement, told the Daily Telegraph: “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 added the islanders could continue their beliefs with Prince Charles who most recently visited Vanuatu in 2018.
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Hide AdThere, the Prince of Wales met Jimmy Joseph, from the village of Yaohnanen, during a tour of the country, formerly known as the New Hebridies.
The prince warmly shook Mr Joseph’s hand as he was presented with a gift.
Mr Joseph said: “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.
“The prince said he would deliver the message personally.”
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