The Essential John Nash - Order Here
During the Thailand reunion show, Jeff Probst recommended, "John Nash’s Non-cooperative Game Theory".  Jeff suggested that any potential Survivor contestant study this theory as the key to winning Survivor.

The island of Tanna is located in the Southern Tafea province in Vanuatu. It's approximately 20,000 residents come from many tribal backgrounds including the unusual Jon Frum cargo cult. One of Tanna's most famous attractions is the Yasur volcano, said to be one of the most accessible in the world. Nekoviar the largest festival in all of Vanuatu, and home of the Toka kastom dance, is held on Tanna every 3 to 4 years, although smaller festivals and dances are held more often to celebrate the various touchstones of life.

The night glow from Tanna's active volcano Yasur, acting as a lighthouse beacon, drew the first Europeans to Tanna's shores in 1774, when Captain James Cook appeared with his sailing vessel the HMS Resolution. Cook landed at the Southeastern corner of Tanna and promptly named the bay Port Resolution. The following one hundred years brought Traders, Missionaries and other foreign influences. To their credit, the Tanna ni-vanuatu have retained much of their culture and traditions.

A trip from Port Resolution, over the mountain pass and across the island to  Lenakel, a custom entry point on the West coast of Tanna, gives an excellent sampling of the wonders of Tanna. The mode of transportation common to Tanna seems to be the 'truk-taxi'. And one of the 'go-to-guys' in Port Resolution seems to be Willy the taxi driver. 

Of course, Yasur volcano is one of the highlights of any visit to Tanna. Yasir is much more active in the wet seasons when ground water interacts with the Earth's thermal forces. At times, Yasur is closed to access for safety reasons, due to molten boulders thrown in wide dispersal, including the visitor parking area. The summit of Yasur is only about a thousand feet and a hike to view the rim of the active crater is but a half hour at most. But the danger is very real, as several people have died recently when venturing too close to the active vents spewing molten lava and boulders. Fortunately the volcano is closely monitored and is accessible in varying safety parameters according to conditions. With Tanna being but an hour's flight from Port Vila, perhaps even the Final three Survivors will journey here for tribute to their fallen comrades, or possibly other Survivors will enjoy Tanna on one of the several Reward getaways.

The prime viewing opportunity is with an afternoon hike that allows an evening sunset viewing and the ensuing nighttime lava fireworks of Yasur. With such a magical display, it's no wonder that Yasur has always held a special place in the hearts of the Tanna people. Visitors from far and wide, starting with Captain Cook in 1774, have been drawn by this glowing beacon of mother nature.

North of Port Resolution lies Sulphur Bay, the site of Ipeukel, one of the Jon Frum villages. Here villagers gather to perform colorful dances on Friday evenings. Related Jon Frum celebrations are held periodically throughout the year, with Jon Frum Day, February 15th being the center point of events. As Sulphur Bay lies within the range of Yasur's 'ash shadow', it is the recipient of fertile earth for its gardens and fields. Another benefit of the nearby volcano, comes in the form of thermal hot springs near the village, where warm baths and the village laundry are done. 

Any journey across the island would be incomplete without a visit to experience one of the traditional Tanna villages such as Yaohnanen and Yankel. In these villages the kastom life is practiced and the nambas and grass skirts are worn year round as opposed to most Tannese who wear the traditional garb only for dances or special occasions. The thatched houses of the villages, typically sit among the huge Banyan trees seen many places on Tanna's interior. The kastom traditions of the Tanna people are kept alive through the daily life practices and special occasion celebrations remembered through kastom dances and storytelling. 

As the dirt track winds its way over the mountain passes of Tanna's ranges, the views of Tanna are spectacular, as seen in this short video clip. However as close as some of the distances might seem, travel other than via the road is a lengthy journey. Along the way 'bush markets' appear at infrequent villages supplying vegetables and basics of life to those living close enough to access them.

Eventually the town of Lenakel is reached where a sizable population lives and supplies are regularly received via boat transport and the nearby airstrip. Lenakel serves as Tanna's portal to the rest of Vanuatu and hosts a large market with fresh fruit and vegetables of all types. Tanna and Vanuatu government offices are located here as well, providing a Southern entry point for yachters visiting from the Fiji Islands which lie to the East.

Jon Frum Cargo Cult

The origin of the Jon Frum movement is believed to have started in the mid 1930's when an American Army presence, which had built a base on Efate, recruited about a thousand Tanna men to work there. Their observances of the many supplies, equipment and Afro-American GIs left a distinct impression on the Tanna workers. And when towards the end of WWII, the American Army departed leaving behind some supplies, the Tanna people anticipated their return. The avenue of these supplies was of course via Army aircargo transport. The Tanna villagers viewed the 'huge bird' and all the cargo, much of it marked as Red Cross Relief supplies, as manna from a higher power. The legend goes that when an American soldier was asked what people they were...the answer of "John from America", evolved into the Jon Frum cargo cult movement.

The Jon Frums believe that Jon Frum is living in the crater of the Yasur volcano with five to twenty thousand men, waiting to return to the villages with gifts and supplies. The center of the Jon Frum movement today is in Ipewukel village at Sulphur Bay. The Jon Frums have focused their beliefs on the WWII American presence and tied the gift of supplies to a mythical US GI named Jon Frum. As a result many the trappings of the US presence are incorporated into the movement's activities. One such item is the Red Cross, which is used as the sacred centerpiece in the movement's church. 

Jon Frum supporters gather every Friday evening to dance and support the movement. The fifteenth of February is Jon Frum Day and the people of Sulphur Bay pay tribute to him with gifts of flowers and prayers at the foot of the Red Cross. They believe that Jon Frum will return, bringing with him all the cargo gifts promised from long ago to enrich the faithful villagers. On Jon Frum Day, raisings of the American flag are celebrated and a military parade is offered to honor Jon Frum. Usually about one hundred men march dressed in American Army memorabilia carrying  bamboo rifles painted with red bayonets, under the command of tribal elders dressed as US Army sergeants.

The Jon Frum cargo cult considers its allegiance to Jon Frum and consider themselves an army of Tanna. They exercise this allegiance periodically by objecting to governmental control by the officials in Port Vila. The followers of Jon Frum have over the years built warehouses, landing strips and bamboo radio towers in preparation of the arrival of air cargo from Jon Frum. The belief is that if the rituals and beliefs are adhered to tightly, that someday Jon Frum will return and bless the loyal followers with wealth in the form of various cargo items.

At first the leaders of the movement were punished with imprisonment without trial, but this only produced martyrs and strengthened the growing movement. Finally on February 15th, 1957, the villagers of Sulphur Bay declared the Jon Frum movement as here to stay with the raising of the American flag and the setting aside of Jon Frum Day for celebration. The movement is still celebrated to the day in various parts of Tanna and has become one of the more interesting parts of the many faceted Vanuatu culture.