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In the mid-nineteenth century, a group of idealistic Protestant missionary couples settled in New Guinea. Along a coastline dotted with islands, amid mangroves and tropical forests, they sought to 'civilise' and convert the local Papuan people. They built Western-style homes with curtain-covered windows, biblical illustrations on the walls and an organ to accompany hymn-singing. These houses also became homes for Papuan children, bought out of local enslavement by the missionaries to be 're-educated.' Domesticating New Guinea departs from these households and the questions they raise. It explores the many facets of this colonial project – from sewing circles and marriage policies to tobacco plantations, craniometry and collection boxes. But how did Papuans respond to the 'good intentions' of these foreign missionaries? This book peels away the pious veneer of missionary sources to reveal glimpses of Papuan voices and reactions. One thing is clear: Papuans did not readily go along with the missionaries' ideals.

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