“It does not make business sense,” Michael Kambao agrees. “There is no money to be made but I want to add value to society, I want to give something back to the community.”

He has named the hostelry Tsak Valley Lodge and has spent over K250,000 to bring it to near completion. He has also assisted fund the construction of two churches with cash contributions that make his village people proud.

“I want to spend money and do something in the village where I grew up, went to school and will be buried,” he said. “I also want to introduce my children to village life. I think all of us educated people in Enga Province should show interest in our villages and build permanent houses as country houses.”

Some educated elites from Tsak Valley hold the same view, believing that, if they can make a difference in their villages, their people will be encouraged to engage in meaningful activities – away from an inclination to fight every time there is a dispute.

Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia, founder of PNG Reform Church Dr Dian Warep, Wara Kare, Tsak Ben Wia, Apeke Taso, Andrew Yamanea, Mark Yaka, Luke Clark and many other elites from Tsak Valley wanted to bring back lost pride.

They have all started to build permanent houses in their villages. Their valley is beginning to look good.

Dr Warep was one of the first people to move into the valley after a prolonged tribal war. He built a K4 million church property in his village. The large compound includes a church, a stylish lodge for visiting pastors and guests, his own residence and other church property.

He had to organise his people to carry all the building supplies across the Wakiam River. The bridge had been destroyed during the tribal conflict.

“We want to bring back the former glory days of the Tsak Valley,” Michael Kambao said. “My own future was nearly spoilt by tribal warfare. We want to show people that fighting is bad. It is destructive and causes so much pain.”

The valley used to be the epicentre of the great ‘Tee’ or ‘Moka’ exchange network. All pigs, kina shells and other trade items would flow through Tsak Valley.

“When you go to Tsak Valley, go without food, there will always be plenty of food there,” people used to say in the olden times. The Tsak Valley welcomed visitors with open arms and food was plentiful. People from the neighbouring Kandep district used to migrate there during times of frost.

But contrary to that heritage, a series of crippling tribal fights was fought for five years in the 1980s killing more than 300 men and destroying public property like schools, churches and businesses.

The Catholic Church alone lost property worth over K3 million including churches, a hospital, a school and priceless records. In 1989 the people decided enough was enough and began to talk peace and start to rebuild the Tsak Valley.

Michael Kambao’s young life was nearly ruined during the war. He had to stay home for a year when Imagapaus Primary School near his village was burnt down.

In 1989 he repeated Grade 5 at Raiakam Primary School but another tribal fight broke out as he did Grade 6 the following year. This time the Ipiananda and Poeo tribes were at each other’s necks. The school was closed and many of the students ran away.

But Michael Kambao got lucky. Some committed teachers managed to arrange exams for the Grade 6 students who had remained in the vicinity. He was accepted into Pausa High School where he completed Grade 12 in 1994 and went on to law school.

Pausa High School happens to be on Pyapin land, home to another lawyer, Papua New Guinea’s Foreign Minister, Rimbink Pato.

While Mr Pato’s tribe lives on the highway, the minister understood that if the Tsak Valley and the Lower Lai region had access to good roads, Wapenamanda would move ahead.

Rimbink Pato acted fast to secure the necessary funds and allocated K11 million to Lower Lai and K27 million to the Tsak Valley road. He personally inspected the roads and sometimes accompanied Works Secretary David Wera to make sure the projects progressed.

Michael Kambao struggled to receive an education during the five years of tribal war but is now a top lawyer. That he establishing special projects for his people – including the hotel - has been made possible by his own commitment and because Foreign Minister Pato secured the funding to build the road leading to a valley which was once a centre of commerce and trade.