Belep

• Traditional Culture (1856)
  • Isolation
    Isolation

    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 but in a region where contact is likely (No evidence of Christian influence on supernatural belief, but culture is known to have had (or is likely to have had) contact with Christian societies at or prior to the time focus in question.)
    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)	Douglas 1970: 190
    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)	30.8	Calculator 2014; of New Caledonia) 2014; Lambert 1900: 81
    Distance to nearest continent (km)	1260	Calculator 2014

  • Physical Environment
    Location

    Question	Response	Source
    Longitude of culture’s location (°)	163.6	2014; Frazer 1913: 325
    Latitude of culture’s location (°)	-19.7	2014; Frazer 1913: 325

    Geographical Range of Culture

    Question	Response	Source
    Number of islands inhabited by culture	Two	Lambert 1900: 81

    Features of Island with Largest Culture Population

    Question	Response	Source
    Island type (island with largest culture population or largest island if unknown)	Continental island (an island situated on a continental shelf, e.g. Taiwan)	Murienne et al. 2005: 2
    Maximum elevation (meters)	283	Dubois 1985: 7
    Island Size (km²)	55.6	Dubois 1985: 7

  • Social Environment
    Social Environment

    Question	Response	Source
    Estimate of culture population size at relevant time focus	700	Dubois 1985: 9
    Estimated population of largest political community	100-999	Lambert 1900: 81; Dubois 1985: 9

    Conflict

    Question	Response	Source
    (No) internal warfare (between communities of the same society) (SCCS v 773)	Rare or never	Douglas 1970: 190; Dubois 1985: 17
    (No) external warfare (with other societies) (SCCS v 774)	Frequent, occurring at least yearly	Douglas 1970; Dubois 1985: 17

  • Subsistence and Economy
    Subsistence and Economy

    Question	Response	Source
    Metalworking	Absent	Bellwood et al. 1975

    Land-based means of subsistence

    Question	Response	Source
    Animal husbandry as a source of food	Absent	Lambert 1900: 204; Rozier 1990: 77
    Land-based hunting performed by individuals	Absent	Lambert 1900
    Land-based gathering	Absent	Lambert 1900: 204-215
    Land-based hunting performed by one or more groups	Absent	Lambert 1900: 204
    Agriculture / Horticulture	Principal (more important than any other source of food)	Lambert 1900: 204; Rozier 1990: 77; Frazer 1913: 339

    Water-based means of subsistence

    Question	Response	Source
    Water-based gathering	Medium	Lambert 1900: 204
    Fishing and water-based hunting performed by one or more groups	Major	Lambert 1900: 205-211
    Fishing and water-based hunting performed by individuals	Major	Lambert 1900: 205-211

    Commercial Activity

    Question	Response	Source
    Trade / wage labour as a source of food	Absent	Lambert 1900: 204-215

• Post Contact History (1856-2014)
  • Religious History
    Conversion

    Question	Response	Source
    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.)
    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.)	Frazer 1913: 325

  • Secular History
    Demographic and Social Changes

    Question	Response	Source
    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.)	Eberhard et al. (eds.) 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.)	Agency 2013
    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.)

    Loss of Autonomy

    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.)
    Nature of loss of autonomy – voluntary vs. forced	Partly voluntary (e.g. Autonomy was ceded voluntarily but under duress; some communities ceded their autonomy voluntarily but others were forced to do so by an foreign power.)