Texas A&M: Cargo Cult U

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A cargo cult is a belief system among members of a relatively undeveloped society in which adherents practice superstitious rituals hoping to bring modern goods supplied by a more technologically advanced society. These cults, millenarian in nature, were first described in Melanesia in the wake of contact with advanced Western cultures. The name derives from the belief which began among Melanesians in the late 19th and early 20th century that various ritualistic acts such as the building of an airplane runway will result in the appearance of material wealth, particularly highly desirable Western goods (i.e., "cargo"), via Western airplane

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members of a relatively undeveloped society

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practice superstitious rituals

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after contact with advanced Western cultures

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various ritualistic acts such as the building of an airplane runway

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will result in the appearance of material wealth, particularly highly desirable Western goods

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