Ontong Java

• Traditional Culture (1899)
  • 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.)	Donner 1991: 253
    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)	Bayliss-Smith 1974; Donner 1991: 253
    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)	50	Calculator 2014
    Distance to nearest continent (km)	1852	Calculator 2014

  • Physical Environment
    Location

    Question	Response	Source
    Longitude of culture’s location (°)	159.7	2014; Hogbin 1934: 90
    Latitude of culture’s location (°)	-5.5	2014; Hogbin 1934: 90

    Geographical Range of Culture

    Question	Response	Source
    Number of islands inhabited by culture	One	2014; Bayliss-Smith 1986: 1

    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)	Donner 1991: 253
    Maximum elevation (meters)	2	Rasmussen et al. 2009: 3
    Island Size (km²)	8	Bayliss-Smith 1986: 1

  • Social Environment
    Social Environment

    Question	Response	Source
    Estimate of culture population size at relevant time focus	2000	Bayliss-Smith 1974
    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.)	Donner 1991: 254
    Importance of Patrilateral descent (V.2)	Medium (Patrilateral descent plays an important role in determining social status and / or group membership, but is not the most important form of descent.)	Donner 1991: 254
    Polygamy (SCCS 861)	Limited polygyny (< 20% of married males)	Hogbin 1931
    Marital residence (SCCS 69)	Matrilocal or uxorilocal - with wife's kin	Hogbin 1934: 117-118; Donner 1991: 254
    Kinship system (if applicable)	Hawaiian	Donner 1991: 254
    Estimated population of largest political community	1,000-9,999	Hogbin 1934: 93-94, 224, 231; Bayliss-Smith 1974
    Political Authority	Supralocal (encompasses multiple local groups)	Hogbin 1934: 93-94, 210-231

    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.)	Hogbin 1934: 93-94, 200, 225
    (No) internal warfare (between communities of the same society) (SCCS v 773)	Rare or never	Hogbin 1934
    (No) external warfare (with other societies) (SCCS v 774)	Rare or never	Hogbin 1934; Bayliss-Smith 1974; Hogbin 1931

  • Subsistence and Economy
    Subsistence and Economy

    Question	Response	Source
    Metalworking	Absent	Hogbin 1934: 95-100

    Land-based means of subsistence

    Question	Response	Source
    Animal husbandry as a source of food	Absent	Hogbin 1934: 95-100; Bayliss-Smith 1974
    Land-based hunting performed by individuals	Minor	Hogbin 1934: 95-100; Bayliss-Smith 1974
    Land-based gathering	Minor	Hogbin 1934: 95-100; Bayliss-Smith 1974
    Land-based hunting performed by one or more groups	Absent	Hogbin 1934: 95-100; Bayliss-Smith 1974
    Agriculture / Horticulture	Principal (more important than any other source of food)	Hogbin 1934: 90; Bayliss-Smith 1974

    Water-based means of subsistence

    Question	Response	Source
    Water-based gathering	Minor	Hogbin 1934: 95-100; Bayliss-Smith 1974
    Fishing and water-based hunting performed by one or more groups	Major	Hogbin 1934: 95-97; Bayliss-Smith 1974
    Fishing and water-based hunting performed by individuals	Absent	Hogbin 1934: 96-97

    Commercial Activity

    Question	Response	Source
    Trade / wage labour as a source of food	Absent	Hogbin 1934: 95-100

• Post Contact History (1899-2014)
  • 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?	Mixed / Neither (e.g. Both high-status individuals and the general population converted at the same time, or the religion was adopted through a mixture of top-down and bottom-up processes.)
    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)	Nau (eds.) 1996: 21-64
    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.)	Donner 1991: 255
    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.)	Nau (eds.) 1996: 23-34

    Syncretic Movements

    Question	Response	Source
    Syncretic religious movements	Absent	Nau (eds.) 1996: 21-64

  • 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.)	Kilé et al. 2000
    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.)	Donner 1991: 254
    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.)	Donner 1991: 254

    Economic Changes

    Question	Response	Source
    Changes in means of subsistence	High (No indigenous means of subsistence has remained major or principal.)	Christensen 2011
    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.)	Christensen 2011; Donner 1991: 254

    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.)	2014
    Air travel	Absent (At no time during the post-contact period did most members of the culture have access to an airport or airstrip.)	Christensen 2011: 10
    Sea port	Absent (At no time during the post-contact period did most members of the culture have access to a sea port.)	Christensen 2011: 10

    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.)	Donner 1991: 253-254
    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.)	Donner 1991: 253-254