Page 13 - IAV Digital Magazine #520

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
Tribe That Worshipped Prince Philips Says His Spirit Lives On
By Fredrick Ramirez
The chief of a remote Pacific vil- lage that wor- shipped Prince Philip says that after the Duke of Edinburgh’s death his spirit will live on.
Yakel village on the Vanuatu island of Tanna for decades wor- shiped Philip, who died at Windsor Castle last week at the age of 99. Their leader Albi said that it was too early to tell how Philip’s death would affect the religious prac- tices. But he said that although Philip may be dead, his spirit would live on.
While many out-
siders assumed Philip's eldest son Charles or grand- sons William and Harry would suc- ceed him in hav- ing a special
place in the vil- lagers' hearts, Albi said nothing was certain.
“The spirit of Prince Philip has
left his body, but it lives on - it is too soon to say where it will reside.”
Right now, dis-
cussions are underway about what the death means for their customary belief system. The Yakel chiefs said
they were send- ing a confidential message to the royal family fol- lowing Philip's passing.
The Prince Philip Movement began in the late 1970s following a visit by the Duke of Edinburgh to Vanuatu earlier that decade. Adherents to the movement, which encourages the return to tradition- al customs of dancing and kava-drinking, believe that a hero, "John Frum" will one day return, bringing with him the rich- es seen in the hands of American GIs during World War II - including radios and cars.
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