Perfumer Amber Jobin at the Cargo Cult Burning Man

The theme of Burning Man this year was “Cargo Cult”. I admit I had to look that up. It is a religious belief of some indigenous peoples based on the anticipation of delivery of cargo in ships or aircraft by spirits. Much of this belief system originated during times of colonization and war, when more technologically advanced groups would temporarily establish themselves in areas and receive shipments of food and other supplies, passing some along to the native people. Once these groups had abandoned the sites, the remaining indigenous cultures would begin performing rituals in the hopes that this bounty would be once again bestowed on them. One of these cults, the John Frum cult, began in the late 1930’s on Tanna Island in Vanuatu, and was strengthened during WWI when US servicemen were based on the isalnd. John Frum is believed to have been an American serviceman, whose name may have come from introducing himself as “John, from America”, but there is a lot of mythology surrounding his origins. The cargo cult built around John Frum survives to this day, and even has its own active political party.

Celebrating John Frum Day on Tanna Island

Aether Arts perfumer Amber Jobin chose the Vanuatu cargo cult as the inspiration for her new scent, John Frum. She hoped to recreate the experience of Vanuatu culture in fragrance by building a fougére around a note of the ritual plant, Kava Kava. Kava Kava is used widely amongst the peoples of the South Pacific as a ritual beverage, which imparts a feeling of calm while increasing mental energies (I drank Kava Kava on a trip to Hawai’i). It has a rooty, earthy aroma that is quite pleasant, and I am enjoying finding it in a perfume.

Captain Cook arrives on Tanna Island

John Frum is a tropical fragrance in the truest sense. Along with the Kava Kava, there are juicy notes of fruits as well as tropical flowers. Unlike many tropically-inspired perfumes, this has nothing to do with beaches or suntan lotion. This is dense wet foliage, plucking fruit off the tree and diving in, juice dripping down your arms. The scent of flowers wafts in and out of the moist air. As the scent dries down, it becomes a bit sweeter, but has the grounding note of vetiver to keep it rooted in earth. I wore it several times and it was a pleasure. One day, when it was quite hot, the winds blew smoke from a distant wildfire into my area, and the scent of the perfume touched my nose through the smoke, giving me moist green relief.

Burning Man 2013, photo Reuters

John Frum is quite potent and lasts a long time. I applied a fair bit on my arm the first day, and I found it almost too strong. The next time, I applied a little less, but in more areas, so the scent was diffused around my body. It is an experiential perfume, and I enjoy it. Ms. Jobin introduced this scent at Burning Man this year, as well as making perfume on the spot. She said John Frum was quite popular, and I can imagine that it would provide a colorful dichotomy against the stark pale dust of the Playa.

Notes: Kava-Kava, fresh lime, coconut water, tropical fruits, mischief flower, jasmine, ylang-yang, exotic woods, vetiver

My sample was graciously provided by Amber Jobin of Aether Arts. The perfume is available in the Aether Arts Etsy shop.

Tama Blough, Senior Editor

Cargo Cult poster by Dominic Tinio; 5.5 ml bottle

As a treat for our worldwide audience, Ms. Jobin is offering a 5.5 ml bottle of John Frum to any reader. Let us know if you have heard of cargo cults or went to Burning Man this year, or what appeals to you about this perfume. Draw ends October 12, 2013.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

Note: We reviewed some of Ms. Jobin's other Burning Man fragrances earlier this year; you can read about them here. Amber was featured in CaFleureBon Profiles in Perfumery; read about her path to perfumery as an apprentice to Dawn Spencer Hurwitz here.