The death of Prince Philip is certainly greeted by great pain and many “ritual lamentations” by the villagers of a small island in the South Pacific – where they worship him as a god.
About 700 villagers on the island of Tanna attribute the so-called Prince Philip Movement, believing that he is the son of a mountain deity who will one day return to “heal the land.”
Philip made a big impression on members of the Yaohnanenon village in the rainforest during visits over the decades, even after the island’s archipelago gained independence from Britain in 1980.
“They hoped he would return in person,” anthropologist Kirk Huffman said of Philip in February.
“But they will imagine that his spirit could return to the island.”
News of Philip’s passing will hit them hard, Huffman said.
“They will be in painful mourning,” he said. “There will be ritual complaints and also a series of dances that encapsulate parts of the island’s history.”
Now, the move will continue with Philip’s eldest son, heir to the throne, Prince Charles, who visited in April 2018, Huffman predicted.