Most of them are loosely related. Tok Pisin is the main second language. The population is heaviest in the northern valleys, where people live in large villages. The people are more spread out in the south. Eastern Highlands houses typically have low walls and are round.
Sweet potato is the main food.
Eastern Highlanders have accepted crops and ideas from overseas faster than other Highland provinces. They have less tribal fighting too. The Asaro people make unusual mud masks for traditional dances. Other people make masks of gourds. Eastern Highlands has high rates of participation in the cash economy and of marriage.