Buka

• Traditional Culture (1929)
  • Isolation
    Isolation

    Question	Response	Source
    Pre-Austronesian population	Present: Clear evidence of human occupation prior to Austronesian settlement	Blackwood 1935: 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.)	Ogan 1991: 131
    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: 2.21
    (Low) contact with other societies (SCCS v 787)	Frequent, through trade, warfare, travel, etc. (e.g. yearly or most years)	Blackwood 1935: xxii-xiii
    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: 2.23
    Distance to closest landmass inhabited by a different culture (km)	0	Blackwood 1935: xxii-xxiii
    Distance to nearest continent (km)	1447	Calculator 2014; Blackwood 1935: xxii

  • Physical Environment
    Location

    Question	Response	Source
    Longitude of culture’s location (°)	154.6	2014; Blackwood 1935: xxii
    Latitude of culture’s location (°)	-5.2	2014; Blackwood 1935: xxii

    Geographical Range of Culture

    Question	Response	Source
    Number of islands inhabited by culture	Two	Blackwood 1935: xix, xxii

    Features of Island with Largest Culture Population

    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)	Yule 1995: 507
    Maximum elevation (meters)	2772	Clark 2008: 64
    Island Size (km²)	8600	Yule 1995: 507

  • Social Environment
    Social Environment

    Question	Response	Source
    Importance of Matrilateral descent (V.2)	High (Matrilateral descent plays an important role in determining social status and / or group membership, and is more important than any other form of descent.)	Blackwood 1935: 32-33
    Importance of Patrilateral descent (V.2)	Low (Patrilateral descent plays little or no role in determining social status and / or group membership.)	Blackwood 1935: 32-33
    Polygamy (SCCS 861)	Limited polygyny (< 20% of married males)	Ogan 1991: 132; Blackwood 1935: 51
    Marital residence (SCCS 69)	Matrilocal or uxorilocal - with wife's kin	Ogan 1991: 132
    Kinship system (if applicable)	Iroquois	Ogan 1991: 132
    Estimated population of largest political community	100-999	Blackwood 1935: 24
    Political Authority	Local (encompasses the local community and / or multiple sublocal groups)	Blackwood 1935: 45-53

    Conflict

    Question	Response	Source
    (No) conflict (social or political) within the local community (SCCS v 767)	Low (Conflict seldom occurs, and is almost never violent.)	Blackwood 1935: 32-81
    (No) internal warfare (between communities of the same society) (SCCS v 773)	Rare or never	Ogan 1991: 131, 133
    (No) external warfare (with other societies) (SCCS v 774)	Occasional, at least every generation	Ogan 1991: 131, 133

  • 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	Minor	Blackwood 1935: 271-297, 281, 284
    Land-based hunting performed by individuals	Minor	Blackwood 1935: 284, 317-326, 326
    Land-based gathering	Medium	Blackwood 1935: 271-297, 276, 277-278, 283-284
    Land-based hunting performed by one or more groups	Minor	Blackwood 1935: 284, 317-326, 326
    Agriculture / Horticulture	Principal (more important than any other source of food)	Blackwood 1935: 272

    Water-based means of subsistence

    Question	Response	Source
    Water-based gathering	Medium	Blackwood 1935: 271-297, 276, 284-285
    Fishing and water-based hunting performed by one or more groups	Major	Blackwood 1935: 272, 284, 326-358
    Fishing and water-based hunting performed by individuals	Major	Blackwood 1935: 272, 284, 326-358

    Commercial Activity

    Question	Response	Source
    Trade / wage labour as a source of food	Major	Blackwood 1935: 272-273, 284

• Post Contact History (1929-2014)
  • 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.)	Regan 2005: 318
    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.)	Regan 2005: 126, 318

  • Secular History
    Economic Changes

    Question	Response	Source
    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.)	Regan 2005: 240-258

    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.)	Blackwood 1935: 48