The Mambu Movement of Madang

Record summary

The Mambu movement is a named Melanesian religious movement associated with the Rai Coast and Madang region. It has been discussed in studies of cargo movements, Christian conversion, ritual innovation and resistance to colonial authority. The movement offers a comparison point for how imported religious forms, local sacred power and material expectations can combine without fitting neatly into either “occultism” or orthodox religion. Its chronology, leadership and regional boundaries vary across accounts, so a researcher should identify the particular village and source rather than relying on a generalized movement label.