People of East New Britain Province
The People of East New Britain are of the Melanesian descent, speaking the Austronesia languages of which there are eighteen (18) dialects. Kuanua which the Tolai speak is the main language of the Gazelle Peninsula.
There are five main tribal groups in East New Britain Province which include the following stated below:
- Tolais
- Bainings
- Pomios
- Sulkas
- Taulils
TOLAIS
The Tolais have similar traditional beliefs and practices and speak the Kuanua Language which varies in dialects in the Gazelle Peninsular. The Tolais live a matrilineal society in which inheritance of land and other assets is from the mother’s side.
Shell money or tabu is the traditional money which is used for payment of bride price, distributed at death ceremony, payment of food from local markets, for settling disputes and for initiation of males into the secret male society of Tubuan and Dukduk.
SULKA
The Sulka people also live in a matrilineal society where inheritance is from the mother’s side. Their traditional shell money is Kakal which is made from clam shells.
POMIO
The Pomio Tribe consists of the following ethnic groups stated below:
- Kol
- Lote
- Makolkol
- Mengen
- Mamusi
- Sulka
- Tomoip
The Pomio people like the Tolais, the Sulkas and Taulils live on a matrilineal society where they inherit land and other assets from the mother’s side. The traditional shell money of the Pomio people are the Mis and Kakal.
BAININGS
The Baining people are the original people of New Britain Island and are made up of four (4) different ethnic groups which include the following as stated below:
- Uramat
- Kairak
- Mali
- Kaket
- Simbali
INHERITANCE
The Baining people are patrilineal, that is, inheritance of land and other assets are from the father’s side. The eldest sons inherit land from their father’s side
Unlike all other ethnic group in East New Britain Province Land is passed down from father to sons in the Baining society. Daughters do no inherit land. When daughters grow up and get married, they stay with their husbands on their husbands land.
The Baining people do not have any kind of traditional money. Therefore, in the past, bride price was never paid. Marriage was free. The only transaction which took place was the exchange of pork and taros witnessed by relatives of the bride and bridegroom.
Currently, Baining parents and relatives of the bridegroom pay a small amount of cash to the parents of the bride.
MARRIAGE AND PAYMENT OF PRIDE PRICE IN EAST NEW BRITAIN PROVINCE
Upon payment of bride price by the parents and relatives of the bridegroom, the bride goes to stay with the husband on his sub-lineages’ owned land. In the matrilineal society like the Gazelle Peninsula, Pomio, Sulka and the Taulil the children do not have rights of ownership to their father’s land. The land belongs to their father’s nephews and nieces. The father can plant cash crops like coconut and cocoa for his children on his wife’s sub-lineage land which the mother and the children have rights of ownership.
Alternatively, the father can buy land for his children from another sub-lineage. In the Gazelle Peninsula, Tolai parents are buying land for their children from the Baining people who are patrilineal where ownership and control of land rests with the father.
ROLE OF TRADITIONAL SHELL MONEY
In the Gazelle Peninsula, Tolai people use shell money or tabu for the following:
- Payment of bride price about two to three hundreds of fathoms of Tolai shell money for a young lady.
- Distribution of shell money to people who come to mourn the death of a person when a person dies in the Gazelle Peninsula.
- Payment of shell money for a male to be initiated into the male secret society of Tubuan and Dukduk.
- Payment of shell money for settlement of disputes among Tolais.
- Purchase of fruits and vegetables with shell money from local markets in Rabaul, Kokopo and Kerevat.
- Payment of shell money by Tolais for purchase of land from other Tolais.
- In Pomio and Sulka, the traditional shell money is called kakal and mis which are used for the payment of bride price.