Pulotu
Database of Austronesian Religions
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Austronesian population | Absent: No evidence of human occupation prior to Austronesian settlement | Bellwood 1995: 109 |
| Christian influence on supernatural belief | No evidence of influence and not in region of known contact (No evidence of Christian influence on supernatural belief, and culture is unlikely to have had contact with Christian societies at or prior to the time focus in question.) | Oliver 1974: 3-5 |
| Hindu / Buddhist influence on supernatural belief | No evidence of influence and not in region of known contact (No evidence of Hindu / Buddhist influence on supernatural belief, and culture is unlikely to have had contact with Hindu or Buddhist societies at or prior to to the time focus in question.) | Cribb 2000: Map 2.21 |
| (Low) contact with other societies (SCCS v 787) | Frequent, through trade, warfare, travel, etc. (e.g. yearly or most years) | Oliver 1974: 12 |
| Islamic influence on supernatural belief | No evidence of influence and not in region of known contact (No evidence of Islamic influence on supernatural belief, and culture is unlikely to have had contact with Islamic societies at or prior to the time focus in question.) | Cribb 2000: Map 2.23 |
| Distance to closest landmass inhabited by a different culture (km) | 188.8 | Calculator 2014; International 2014 |
| Distance to nearest continent (km) | 5668 | Calculator 2014 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Longitude of culture’s location (°) | -149.4 | 2014; Oliver 2002: 7 |
| Latitude of culture’s location (°) | -17.6 | 2014; Oliver 2002: 7 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Number of islands inhabited by culture | Four or more | Oliver 2002: 7, 12 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Island type (island with largest culture population or largest island if unknown) | Volcanic high island (an oceanic island of volcanic origin, e.g. Hawaii) | Oliver 2002: 7, 12 |
| Maximum elevation (meters) | 2237 | Oliver 2002: 7, 12 |
| Island Size (km²) | 1040 | Oliver 2002: 7, 12 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Estimate of culture population size at relevant time focus | 85000 | Rallu 2007; Rallu 1991; McArthur 1967: 235-279; Oliver 1974: 7-46; Hamilton 2007 |
| Importance of Matrilateral descent (V.2) | Medium (Matrilateral descent plays an important role in determining social status and / or group membership, but is not the most important form of descent.) | Oliver 1974: 617, 620 |
| Importance of Patrilateral descent (V.2) | High (Patrilateral descent plays an important role in determining social status and / or group membership, and is more important than any other form of descent.) | Oliver 1974: 620 |
| Polygamy (SCCS 861) | Limited polygyny (< 20% of married males) | Oliver 1974: 463-465) |
| Marital residence (SCCS 69) | Patrilocal or virilocal - with husband's kin | Oliver 1974: 800-801 |
| Kinship system (if applicable) | Hawaiian | Ferdon 1991: 306 |
| Estimated population of largest political community | 10,000-99,999 | Oliver 1974: 1173 |
| Political Authority | Supralocal (encompasses multiple local groups) | Oliver 1974: 965-1073 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| (No) conflict (social or political) within the local community (SCCS v 767) | Low (Conflict seldom occurs, and is almost never violent.) | Oliver 1974: 967-970 |
| (No) internal warfare (between communities of the same society) (SCCS v 773) | Common, at least every five years | Oliver 1974: 387-388 |
| (No) external warfare (with other societies) (SCCS v 774) | Rare or never | Oliver 1974: 375-408 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Metalworking | Absent | Oliver 1974: 133-151 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Animal husbandry as a source of food | Medium | Oliver 1974: 270-278 |
| Land-based hunting performed by individuals | Minor | Oliver 1974: 278-281 |
| Land-based gathering | Major | Oliver 1974: 242-243, 245-248 |
| Land-based hunting performed by one or more groups | Minor | Oliver 1974: 278-281 |
| Agriculture / Horticulture | Principal (more important than any other source of food) | Oliver 1974: 234 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Water-based gathering | Medium | Oliver 1974: 282-283 |
| Fishing and water-based hunting performed by one or more groups | Major | Oliver 1974: 281-303 |
| Fishing and water-based hunting performed by individuals | Major | Oliver 1974: 281-303 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Trade / wage labour as a source of food | Minor | Oliver 1974: 229-234 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Was a foreign religion adopted through a top-down (those high in the social hierarchy converted first, followed by the general population) or a bottom-up (the general population converted first, followed by those high in the social hierarchy) process? | Primarily a top-down process. | Ferdon 1991: 305 |
| Use of force in conversion | Low (most communities adopted the new religion either voluntarily or due to pressure from other communities of the same culture) | Ferdon 1991: 305 |
| Adoption of a world religion | Present and predominant (At one time or another during the post-contact period, at least 75% of the indigenous population practiced a world religion.) | Ferdon 1991: 307 |
| Resident missionary involvement in conversion process | Present, and from non-Austronesian societies (Resident foreign missionaries, at least one of whom was from a non-Austronesian society, played an important role in the conversion process.) | Ferdon 1991: 305; Oliver 1974: 4 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Syncretic religious movements | Present, but did not survive to the present-day | Newbury 1980: 62; Foster 2020 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Replacement-level immigration | Low (Replacement-level immigration occurred. The immigrant culture had a population size more than 10% of that of the indigenous culture at one time or another, but this figure never exceeded 50%.) | Foster 2020 |
| Language shift | Medium (The indigenous language remained an important means of communication for the duration of the post-contact period, but at one time or another the indigenous population used a non-indigenous language to roughly the same extent.) | Foster 2020 |
| Foreign education systems | High (At one time or another during the post-contact period over 75% of children received some at least a basic non-indigenous education.) | Foster 2020 |
| Foreign government systems | Present, and of high importance (At one time or another during the post-contact period the culture was subject to a foreign government system that controlled most important decisions.) | Finney 1973: 18; Foster 2020 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Changes in means of subsistence | High (No indigenous means of subsistence has remained major or principal.) | Foster 2020 |
| Exportation of goods to other cultures | Present and substantial (At one time or another during the post-contact period, exports were a primary focus of economic activity for over 10% of the population.) | Foster 2020 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicles and roads | Present and widely used (At one time or another during the post-contact period, motor vehicles were used by a substantial proportion of the population.) | Foster 2020 |
| Air travel | Present and long-distance (At one time or another, most members of the culture had access to international air travel.) | Foster 2020 |
| Sea port | Present (At one time or another during the post-contact period most members of the culture had access to a sea port.) | Foster 2020 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Loss of autonomy during postcontact period | High (On at least one occasion during the post-contact period, the culture came under the political dominance of a foreign power, and this event resulted in considerable loss of autonomy.) | Finney 1973: 18 |
| Nature of loss of autonomy – voluntary vs. forced | Largely involuntary (autonomy was lost largely as a result of external force) | Finney 1973: 18 |