A tribe in the remote Pacific island nation of Vanuatu that regarded Prince Philip as a god are devastated by his death.
Those on the remote South Pacific Island of Tanna thought that Prince Philip was a deity because of an ancient legend of a son of a mountain spirit who married a powerful woman. The beliefs were solidified after a 1974 visit to the island by Queen Elizabeth II’s husband.
Kirk Huffman, an anthropologist who has studied indigenous groups in Vanuatu, told The New York Postthat he believes the group will be in “grief-stricken” mourning.
“There will be ritual wailing and also a series of dances that encapsulate parts of the island’s history,” Huffman said.
“Here in Tanna, we believe that Prince Philip is the son of our god, our ancestral god, who lives up in the mountain,” local resident Nako Nikien, also known as “Jimmy Joseph,” said in 2015.
Nikien is a member of a local cult called the Prince Philip Movement.
He was among five villagers to meet Philip in 2007, when they were flown to the UK by the British reality show “Meet the Natives.”
“Meeting him (was) just wonderful,” he said, describing it as “like being in a spiritual world.”
Nikien added that according to the tribe’s beliefs, the spirit of Prince Philip will never die.
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The Duke of Edinburgh died peacefully at his home in Windsor Castle, England on Friday at the age of 99 after a two month illness for which he was hospitalized in February.
His death was marked with 41-gun salutes at noon on Saturday at locations across the UK, including the Tower of London and Edinburgh Castle, as well as in Gibraltar and on Royal Navy ships at sea.
“The people were very sad to hear of the passing of this great man,” said Jean-Pascal Wahé, the worker tasked with driving four hours to the isolated area and delivering the sad message. “He was a very important man to us all and it’s a great loss.”
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