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.) | |
| 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) | Howe 1977: 21; Dubois 1984: 247 |
| 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) | 47 | Calculator 2014 |
| Distance to nearest continent (km) | 1566 | Calculator 2014 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Longitude of culture’s location (°) | 168 | 2014; Dubois 1984: 12 |
| Latitude of culture’s location (°) | -21.5 | 2014; Dubois 1984: 12 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Number of islands inhabited by culture | One | Dubois 1984: 12-13 |
| 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) | Dubois 1984: 13 |
| Maximum elevation (meters) | 138 | Dubois 1984: 13 |
| Island Size (km²) | 650 | Dubois 1984: 12 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Estimate of culture population size at relevant time focus | 4000 | Howe 1977: 7; Dubois 1984: 21 |
| Importance of Matrilateral descent (V.2) | Low (Matrilateral descent plays little or no role in determining social status and / or group membership.) | Howe 1977: 9-10 |
| 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.) | Howe 1977: 9-10 |
| Polygamy (SCCS 861) | Full polygyny (20% or more of married males) | Dubois 1984: 71-72 |
| Marital residence (SCCS 69) | Patrilocal or virilocal - with husband's kin | Howe 1977: 9 |
| Estimated population of largest political community | 100-999 | Dubois 1984: 16, 21 |
| Political Authority | Supralocal (encompasses multiple local groups) | Dubois 1984: 107-122, 219-262 |
| 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.) | Howe 1974: 30 |
| (No) internal warfare (between communities of the same society) (SCCS v 773) | Frequent, occurring at least yearly | Howe 1974: 24-26; Howe 1977: 21 |
| (No) external warfare (with other societies) (SCCS v 774) | Rare or never | Howe 1974: 21-38; Dubois 1984: 254-262 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Animal husbandry as a source of food | Absent | Dubois 1984: 164-167 |
| Land-based hunting performed by individuals | Medium | Dubois 1984: 161-162 |
| Land-based gathering | Major | Dubois 1984: 123-158 |
| Land-based hunting performed by one or more groups | Minor | Dubois 1984: 161 |
| Agriculture / Horticulture | Principal (more important than any other source of food) | Howe 1977: 7; Dubois 1984: 123-158 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Water-based gathering | Absent | Howe 1977: 8; Dubois 1984: 123-165 |
| Fishing and water-based hunting performed by one or more groups | Minor | Howe 1977: 8 |
| Fishing and water-based hunting performed by individuals | Minor | Howe 1977: 8 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Trade / wage labour as a source of food | Minor | Dubois 1984: 123-165, 247 |
| 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. | Howe 1977: 21-34 |
| 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) | Howe 1977: 21-34 |
| 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.) | Howe 1977: 19 |
| 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.) | Howe 1977: 21-34 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Syncretic religious movements | Absent | Howe 1977: 21-34 |
| 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.) | Haberkorn 2008: 122 |
| 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.) | 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.) | Logan and Cole 2001: 40 |
| 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.) | Agency 2013; Ember (eds.) 2001: 1583-1589 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Changes in means of subsistence | High (No indigenous means of subsistence has remained major or principal.) | Ember (eds.) 2001: 1583-1589 |
| Exportation of goods to other cultures | Present but minor (At one time or another exports were part of the local economy, but were never a primary focus of economic activity for more than 10% of the population .) | 2008 |
| 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.) | Logan and Cole 2001: 216 |
| Air travel | Present, local only (At no time during the post-contact period did most members of the culture have access to international air travel, but at one time or another most members of the culture had access to domestic air travel.) | Logan and Cole 2001: 215 |
| Sea port | Absent (At no time during the post-contact period did most members of the culture have access to a sea port.) |
| 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.) | Howe 1977: 75-78; Islands 2013 |
| 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.) | Howe 1974: 71-78 |