Eri was born on 12 September 1936 at the village of Moveave in the Gulf Province of the Territory of Papua.
His father was a "Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel" during World War II and died while carrying supplies for Australian soldiers on the Bulldog Track.
He was subsequently raised by an aunt and uncle, attending Catholic mission schools at Terapo and Yule Island.
Ultimately, Prime Minister Rabbie Namaliu sent a formal request to Queen Elizabeth II to replace him.
However, in 1932, the country's first Methodist Priest, Hosea Linge [pl], known as "Ligeremaluoga", published an autobiography that was translated as The Erstwhile Savage.
He died of a heart attack in Port Moresby on 25 May 1992, aged 56, and was buried at his home village of Moveave.