Title: Lilits (also known as Leah)

Lilits, also known as Leah, was the only child and daughter of Samase, the first wife of Chief Nowang Gamun of the Lei Wompa tribe. Her story begins in the late 1800s and early 1900s, a time when the Lutheran missionaries first arrived in the Lae region of Papua New Guinea.

I am Neko, the firstborn son of Babul. Babul was the firstborn son of Lilits. Lilits, in turn, was the daughter of Samase, the first wife of Chief Nowang Gamun. This makes me a direct descendant of Chief Nowang Gamun through a maternal line sanctioned and recognized by early missionaries.

During the late 19th century, Chief Nowang Gamun led his people through a series of wars to avenge the deaths of his three brothers, who were slain by enemy tribes near the Munum waters. His campaigns stretched as far south as Busama on the Huon Gulf coast. On his return, he captured a young man and his sister. Later, he led campaigns north along the Huon Gulf up to Bukaua. However, his warriors halted their advance upon receiving reports from scouts who had spotted white men along the coastline.

The chief remembered a prophecy preserved in the sacred string bag of the tribe’s Prophetess. She had foretold the coming of white-skinned strangers carrying strange goods, who preached forgiveness and peace, and worshipped a powerful, unknown God. In respect of this prophecy, Chief Nowang Gamun ceased hostilities and withdrew his people from further conflict.

Among those captured during the war was a young woman who became his fourth wife. He affectionately called her Afimri. She was later baptized and given the Christian name Gadanze. During this period, the chief moved his family — consisting of his four wives and their children — to the eastern banks of the Munum River, beneath the Atzera Range.

It was there, in March 1910, that a Lutheran missionary party led by Missionary Ortel and accompanied by Professor Neuhaus and coastal carriers met Chief Nowang Gamun. They successfully brokered a peace agreement with him, paving the way for the spread of the Gospel into the Markham Valley and eventually into Papua New Guinea's highlands.

Lilits was around ten years old when the missionaries arrived. She and her mother, Samase, had often accompanied the chief and his warriors during battles, carrying food and supplies and collecting spears from the rear to support the frontline. Her bravery and service became legendary, remembered and celebrated to this day.

As she matured, Lilits married Naog, Chief Nowang’s trusted right-hand man. In 1930, she gave birth to Babul, followed by Saul in 1932. Tragically, Naog died a few months before Saul’s birth, and Lilits passed away shortly afterward. Saul was then nursed by Bathsheba, the wife of Kinasa—Gadanze’s only son—thus drawing our family deeper into the Owang Rompon clan of Chief Nowang, rather than remaining under Naog’s original Orogrenan clan.

Chief Nowang Gamun was baptized in 1912. To qualify for baptism, he had to let go of his other wives and remain with only his first wife, Samase, and their daughter Lilits. Although the Lei Wompa tribe was patriarchal, the missionaries' influence recognized Samase as the official wife, and Lilits as the legitimate heir. Through this lineage, I, as the firstborn son of Babul and great-grandson of Samase and Chief Nowang, stand as the rightful next of kin.

It is my honour to serve as Chairman of Chief Nowang Gamun’s family. I am committed to preserving and upholding the legacy of this remarkable leader, along with his wife Samase and their daughter Lilits, my grandmother.