An annotated bibliography of West New Britain Province folklore

Below is an annotated bibliography of West New Britain Province folklore. See the main bibliography page for more details. Please send comments and corrections to me.

A “*” following a reference indicates that I have not seen it.

For a more general bibliography of West New Britain Province, see: A West New Britain Working Bibliography by Dorothy Counts.

Anonymous (1998). Rurumong A Erere Nge Mangseng Okei: Mangseng Language Legends. Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea, 36 pp., illustrated. This booklet presents 16 legends in the Mangseng Language only. See also Vua et al. (1998).
Blythe, Jennifer M. (1992). "Climbing a Mountain without a Ladder: Cosmology and Oral Traditions. Time and Society 1: 13-27. This article discusses the mythology of the Bali-Vitu People.
Blythe, Jennifer [M.] (1995). "Vanishing and Returning Heroes: Ambiguity and Persistent Hope in an Unea Island Legend." Anthropologica 37: 207-228. This article discuses the mythology of the Bali-Vitu People and gives a synopsis of one myth.
Chowning, Martha Ann (1995). “Antagonistic Siblings and Wandering Creators: What Makes a Myth?” Melanesian Manuscript Series 00149, item 1. La Jolla: University of California, San Diego, Melanesian Studies Resource Center, 17 pp. *
Counts, Dorothy (1972). The Kaliai and the Story: Development and frustration in New Britain. Human Organization 31: 373-383. * This article discusses mythology of the Kaliai cargo cults.
Counts, [C.] Dorothy Ayers (1980). Akro and Gagandewa: A Melanesian myth. Journal of the Polynesian Society 89: 33-65. A myth from the Kaliai People.
Counts, C. Dorothy A. [Ayers] (1982). Ol Stori Bilong Laupu [The Tales of Laupu]. Boroko: Institute of Papua New Guinea Studies, 284 pp., illustrated, in English and Tok Pisin. These are stories from the Kaliai People, told by Jakob Mua Laupu, Benedik Solou Laupu, and Maria Sapanga. See also Laupu & Sapanga. Out of print: Part of the book is available on the Web.
Counts, David & Counts, Dorothy (1985). David and Dorothy Counts New Britain Journal and Films. Unpublished field journals on the Kaliai People. Available at the University of California San Diego Mandeville Library.
Counts, Dorothy Ayers (1994). "Snakes, adulterers, and the loss of paradise in Kaliai." Pacific Studies 17(4): 109-151. This article discusses the mythology of the Kaliai People, and present 4 myths (pp. 126-149).
Goodale, Jane C. (1995). To Sing with Pigs Is Human. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 269 pp., illustrated. This book contains several myths of the Kaulong People.
Guinness, Patrick (1973). Bush and Village: An Analysis of Maututu Nakanai Mythology. Master’s Thesis, University of Sydney, 267 pp. This thesis discusses the mythology of the Lakalai People. *
Hashimoto, Kazuo, ed. (1990). A’alo se’i no anu vaikala Ata [Some Stories in Ata]. Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea: Southern Institute of Linguistics, 20 pp. This booklet is about the Pele-Ata People. * Out of print.
Johnston, Raymond L., ed. (1974). La vigilemulimulile pakasa uru me Tulagola [Stories about Big Wallaby and Tulagola the Dog]. Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea: Southern Institute of Linguistics. In the Nakanai and English languages, 124 pp. This book is about the Lakalai People. *
Johnston, Raymond L. & Johnston, Marilyn, eds. (1972) Magurei: La Vigilimulimulile Magurei (The story of Magurei: a Folk Story from West New Britain). Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea: Summer Institute of Linguistics, 32 pp. with cassette tape. This is in Lakalai and in English. It presents a myth of the Lakalai People. Out of print.
Lattas, Andrew (1992). “Punishment of masks: cargo cults and ideologies of representation in West New Britain.” Canberra Anthropology 15: 69-88. * This article discusses the mythology of the Bali-Vitu People.
Lattas, Andrew (1998). Cultures of Secrecy: Reinventing Race in Bush Kaliai Cargo Cults. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 360 pp., illustrated. This book discusses the mythogy of the Kaliai cargo cults on several pages. Dorothy Ayers Counts & David R. Counts (Paideuma: Mitteilungen zur Kulturkunde 46: 323-328, 2000) reviewed this book and were highly critical Lattas’ interpretation and translation. Counts & Counts also criticized Lattas for not citing prior work on the Kaliai cargo cults, especially Counts (1972).
Lattas, Andrew (2001). “The underground life of capitalism: Space, persons, and money in Bali (West New Britain).” In: Rumsey & Weiner, Emplaced Myth., pp. 161-188. The chapter discusses the mythology of the Bali-Vitu People.
Laupu, Jakob Mua & Sapanga, Maria (n.d.). Akono na Silimala. This is a folktale in Tok Pisin from the Kaliai People. See also Counts (1982).
Maschio, Thomas (1994). To Remember the Faces of the Dead: Plenitude of Memory in Southwestern New Britain. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 245 pp., illustrated. This book contains several myths of the Rauto People.
Maschio, Thomas (1995). Mythic images and objects of myth in Rauto female puberty ritual. In: Lutkehaus, Nancy C. & Roscoe, Paul B. Gender Rituals: Female Initiation in Melanesia. New York: Routledge, pp. 131-161. The texts of two myths are presented in context.
McPherson, Naomi M. (1994). "Legacy of Moro the snake-man in Bariai." Pacific Studies 17(4): 153-181. This article discusses the mythology of the Bariai People and presents several myths.
Rhoads, Jim & Specht, Jim (1980). “Aspects of the Oral History of the Bali-Witu Islands, West New Britain Province.” Oral History 8(8): 10-22. This article presents and discusses 4 myths from the Bali-Vitu (Bali-Witu) People (pp. 11-16, 22).
Specht, Jim (1980). “Aspects of the Oral History of the Bakovi People of West New Britain Province.” Oral History 8(8): 23-54. This article presents 12 myths from the Bola People.
Theng, Judith Helen (1997). Lakalai Tales: An Analysis. M.A. Thesis, Victoria University of Wellington, 436 pp., illustrated. This thesis discusses the mythology of the Lakalai People. *
Thurston, William R. (1994). “The Legend of Titikolo: An Anêm Genesis.” Pacific Studies 17(4):183-204. This article discusses the mythology of the Anem People and presents several myths.
Valentine, C. A. (1961). Masks and Men in a Melanesian Society: The Valuku or Tubuan of the Lakalai of New Britain. Kansas: University of Kansas Publications. This book discusses the mythology of the Lakalai People. *
Valentine, C. A. (1965). “The Lakalai of New Britain.” In: Lawrence &: Meggitt (1965a), pp. 162-197. This chapter discusses the mythology of the Lakalai People.
van den Berg, René & Bachet, Peter (2006). Vitu Grammar Sketch. Data Papers on New Guinea Languages 51. This paper contains 2 folktales of the Vitu People.
Vua, Eliuda; Dome, Martin M.; Sungtuni, Meilin; Kaiwa, Robert; Birao, Don; Vua, Albert; Poka, Edie; Poka, Lucas; Darius, July; Birao, Delilah; Mota, David; Vua, Moses; Meta, Penias; Meps, Sagima; Omes, Rubi; Boaz, Darius; Pavthai, Lukas; Jon, Martin; Wirum, Alphonse; Mule, Martin; Waismley, Peter; and Langme, Anthon (1998a). Rurumong A Erere Aininga: Mangseng Legends. Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea, 36 pp., illustrated. This booklet presents 22 legends in the Mangseng Language only. See also Anonymous (1998).

Last modified November 26, 2007.