Ifaluk

• Traditional Culture (1947)
  • 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	Evidence of influence (Evidence of Christian influence on supernatural belief.)	Burrows and Spiro 1953: 201
    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; Burrows and Spiro 1953: 200-206
    (Low) contact with other societies (SCCS v 787)	Frequent, through trade, warfare, travel, etc. (e.g. yearly or most years)	Burrows and Spiro 1953: 200-206
    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; Burrows and Spiro 1953: 200-206
    Distance to closest landmass inhabited by a different culture (km)	60	Calculator 2014; Burrows and Spiro 1953: 1
    Distance to nearest continent (km)	2005	Calculator 2014

  • Physical Environment
    Location

    Question	Response	Source
    Longitude of culture’s location (°)	144.5	2014; Burrows and Spiro 1953: 26
    Latitude of culture’s location (°)	7.2	2014; Burrows and Spiro 1953: 26

    Geographical Range of Culture

    Question	Response	Source
    Number of islands inhabited by culture	One	Burrows and Spiro 1953: 26

    Features of Island with Largest Culture Population

    Question	Response	Source
    Island type (island with largest culture population or largest island if unknown)	Atoll (an oceanic low island of coral origin, e.g. Ulithi)	Burrows and Spiro 1953: 26
    Maximum elevation (meters)	6	Burrows and Spiro 1953: 26
    Island Size (km²)	1.5	Burrows 1963: 26

  • Social Environment
    Social Environment

    Question	Response	Source
    Estimate of culture population size at relevant time focus	250	Burrows and Spiro 1953: 4-5
    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.)	Burrows and Spiro 1953: 125, 137
    Importance of Patrilateral descent (V.2)	Low (Patrilateral descent plays little or no role in determining social status and / or group membership.)	Burrows and Spiro 1953: 125, 137
    Polygamy (SCCS 861)	Monogamy prescribed	Burrows and Spiro 1953: 302
    Marital residence (SCCS 69)	Matrilocal or uxorilocal - with wife's kin	Alkire 1991: 383; Burrows and Spiro 1953: 302
    Estimated population of largest political community	100-999	Burrows and Spiro 1953: 4-5, 121
    Political Authority	Supralocal (encompasses multiple local groups)	Burrows and Spiro 1953

    Conflict

    Question	Response	Source
    (No) conflict (social or political) within the local community (SCCS v 767)	Moderate (Conflict occurs frequently but is seldom violent, or is violent but occurs only occasionally.)	Betzig and Wichimai 1991; Burrows and Spiro 1953: 193
    (No) internal warfare (between communities of the same society) (SCCS v 773)	Rare or never	Betzig and Wichimai 1991; Burrows and Spiro 1953: 7-18, 193
    (No) external warfare (with other societies) (SCCS v 774)	Rare or never	Burrows and Spiro 1953: 10-18, 200-206

  • Subsistence and Economy
    Subsistence and Economy

    Question	Response	Source
    Metalworking	Absent	Burrows and Spiro 1953: 41-120

    Land-based means of subsistence

    Question	Response	Source
    Animal husbandry as a source of food	Minor	Burrows and Spiro 1953: 31-32
    Land-based hunting performed by individuals	Absent	Burrows and Spiro 1953: 31-35
    Land-based gathering	Minor	Burrows and Spiro 1953: 34, 41-103
    Land-based hunting performed by one or more groups	Absent	Burrows and Spiro 1953: 31-35
    Agriculture / Horticulture	Principal (more important than any other source of food)	Burrows and Spiro 1953: 42-54

    Water-based means of subsistence

    Question	Response	Source
    Water-based gathering	Medium	Burrows and Spiro 1953: 35, 43-44
    Fishing and water-based hunting performed by one or more groups	Medium	Burrows and Spiro 1953: 35, 43-44, 104-110
    Fishing and water-based hunting performed by individuals	Medium	Burrows and Spiro 1953: 35, 43-44, 104-110

    Commercial Activity

    Question	Response	Source
    Trade / wage labour as a source of food	Minor	Burrows and Spiro 1953: 170-171; Oliver 1974: 969

• Post Contact History (1947-2014)
  • Religious History
    Conversion

    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 bottom-up process.	Betzig and Wichimai 1991: 251
    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)	Betzig and Wichimai 1991: 251
    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.)	Betzig and Wichimai 1991: 251
    Resident missionary involvement in conversion process	Absent (Resident foreign missionaries played no role, or only a minimal role, in the conversion process.)	Betzig et al. 1989: 163; Sosis 2005: 14-15

    Syncretic Movements

    Question	Response	Source
    Syncretic religious movements	Absent	Betzig and Wichimai 1991: 251; Sosis 2005: 14; Le 2000: 202

  • Secular History
    Demographic and Social Changes

    Question	Response	Source
    Replacement-level immigration	Absent (Replacement-level immigration did not occur – an immigrant culture was never present in the area, or was present but had a population size less than 10% of that of the indigenous culture.)	Sosis 2005
    Language shift	Low (The indigenous language remained the sole or primary means of communication for most of the indigenous population for the duration of the post-contact period.)	Sosis 2005: 5
    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.)	Sosis 2005: 13
    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.)	Spiro 1980: 343; Burrows and Spiro 1953: 199

    Economic Changes

    Question	Response	Source
    Changes in means of subsistence	Medium (Principal and major means of subsistence have changed from their indigenous states (e.g. through gain or loss of major and / or principal means of subsistence), but at least one of the major or principal means of subsistance has persisted.)	Sosis 2005: 19
    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.)	Sosis 2005: 13; Burrows and Spiro 1953: 173

    Modern Infrastructure

    Question	Response	Source
    Vehicles and roads	Absent (At no time during the post-contact period did most members of the culture have access either to roads or motor vehicles.)	Sosis 2005: 13
    Air travel	Absent (At no time during the post-contact period did most members of the culture have access to an airport or airstrip.)	Sosis 2005: 13-14
    Sea port	Absent (At no time during the post-contact period did most members of the culture have access to a sea port.)	Sosis 2005: 13-14

    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.)	Burrows and Spiro 1953: 9-10, 200-206
    Nature of loss of autonomy – voluntary vs. forced	Largely voluntary (Autonomy was ceded either voluntarily or as a result of pressure from other members of the same culture, without the threat of external force being necessary.)