Pre-order: Tribes of Papua New Guinea – East New Britain (Digital Edition)

Preorder Digital Edition

Tribes of Papua New Guinea: East New Britain 

A 28-Year Journey Through History, Culture and Living Memory

East New Britain is more than a province. For Steven Ballantyne it is a spiritual home, a place of volcanoes and coral islands, of tubuan spirits and shell money, of laughter on the beach and grief that is shared by an entire community.

This book looks beyond (yet fully includes) the classic cultural histories of the Tolai, Baining, Sulka, Pomio and other peoples. It weaves together the author’s nearly three decades of experience as an independent traveller and film location manager with the living stories of the province’s indigenous communities, the “New Tribes” of missionaries and settlers, and the expatriate families who have made East New Britain their home. Among them is Susie of the Hamamas Hotel, hamamas, meaning “happy” or “happiness” in Tok Pisin, whose own life and the stories she carries form part of the tapestry.

From August 2026, the author returns for up to sixty days, living with local communities, gathering first-hand accounts, walking the same paths he has walked for almost thirty years, and listening once more to the voices of friends gained and friends lost. The result is a book that is serious in its respect for history and culture, yet light enough to carry the humour, warmth and quiet absurdity that have always been part of life in this part of the world.

Readers will find:

- The cultural heart of East New Britain — Sing Sings, tubuan and dukduk, matrilineal systems, shell money, and the enduring power of place.

- Personal reflections from nearly three decades of work and friendship across the province.

- The stories of expatriate and settler communities, including the resilience that followed war and the quiet daily courage of people who stayed.

- A clear-eyed look at Rabaul’s modern history as a film location and as a place of former glory, the visit of the British Queen, the grand hotel that once hosted her, and the city that volcanoes and time have reshaped.

- Lest we forget: the Rabaul Queen boat tragedy, and the more recent loss of twenty-seven people, including the author’s great friend Corey Dotty Eron (“Papa blo Pangpang”) of Pangpang Island, tourism pioneer, Ward Member, and a man whose smile and big heart are already missed. His story, and the island paradise he helped create, are told with care.

- What the wider world might still learn from this corner of Papua New Guinea: care for the environment, the strength of village life, the communal way of dealing with death and bereavement, neighbour-love, and the simple power of showing up for one another.

Unseen historical and cultural images, maps, and carefully chosen quotations accompany the text. The tone is honest, affectionate, and occasionally humorous, a book written by someone who has never really left.

Pre-order now  

Digital edition: £4.99  

Estimated publication: November 2026  

Proceeds support the final research and writing of the book during the author’s extended stay in East New Britain from mid-August 2026.