Pulotu
Database of Austronesian Religions
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Austronesian population | Present: Clear 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.) | Jaspan 1964 |
| Hindu / Buddhist influence on supernatural belief | Evidence of influence (Evidence of Hindu / Buddhist influence on supernatural belief.) | Jaspan 1964: 77, 147 |
| (Low) contact with other societies (SCCS v 787) | Frequent, through trade, warfare, travel, etc. (e.g. yearly or most years) | Lebar (eds.) 1972: 33 |
| Islamic influence on supernatural belief | No evidence of influence but in a region where contact is likely (No evidence of Islamic influence on supernatural belief, but culture is known to have had (or is likely to have had) contact with Islamic societies at or prior to the time focus in question.) | Jaspan and King 1981: 76, 78 |
| Distance to closest landmass inhabited by a different culture (km) | 0 | Jaspan 1964: 1 |
| Distance to nearest continent (km) | 518.9 | Calculator 2014; Jaspan 1964: 1 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Longitude of culture’s location (°) | 102.8 | 2014; Jaspan 1964: 11-12 |
| Latitude of culture’s location (°) | -3.4 | 2014; Jaspan 1964: 11-12 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Number of islands inhabited by culture | One | Jaspan 1964: 1 |
| 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) | Shelf 2016 |
| Maximum elevation (meters) | 3800 | Sumatra 2017 |
| Island Size (km²) | 480793 | Sumatra 2017 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Estimate of culture population size at relevant time focus | 50000 | Crawfurd 1856: 365; Reid 1987: 36 |
| Importance of Matrilateral descent (V.2) | Low (Matrilateral descent plays little or no role in determining social status and / or group membership.) | Jaspan 1972: 32, 33-34 |
| 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.) | Jaspan 1972: 32, 33-34 |
| Polygamy (SCCS 861) | Monogamy preferred, but exceptional cases of polygyny | Jaspan 1972: 33 |
| Marital residence (SCCS 69) | Patrilocal or virilocal - with husband's kin | Jaspan 1972: 33 |
| Estimated population of largest political community | 10,000-99,999 | Crawfurd 1856: 365; Jaspan 1964: 1-88; Marsden 1784: 172-177; Reid 1987: 36 |
| Political Authority | Supralocal (encompasses multiple local groups) | Jaspan 1964: 1-88 |
| 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.) | Jaspan 1964: 35, 82-83, 258 |
| (No) internal warfare (between communities of the same society) (SCCS v 773) | Frequent, occurring at least yearly | Jaspan 1964: 259 |
| (No) external warfare (with other societies) (SCCS v 774) | Frequent, occurring at least yearly | Jaspan 1972: 33-34; Jaspan 1964: 259 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Metalworking | Present | Marsden 1784: 143-144 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Animal husbandry as a source of food | Major | Marsden 1784: 56, 94 |
| Land-based hunting performed by individuals | Minor | Marsden 1784: 56-158 |
| Land-based gathering | Medium | Marsden 1784: 56-158, 58 |
| Land-based hunting performed by one or more groups | Minor | Marsden 1784: 56-158 |
| Agriculture / Horticulture | Principal (more important than any other source of food) | Jaspan 1964: 58; Marsden 1784: 56, 59, 72 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Water-based gathering | Absent | Marsden 1784: 56-158 |
| Fishing and water-based hunting performed by one or more groups | Minor | Jaspan 1964: 9; Marsden 1784: 56-158 |
| Fishing and water-based hunting performed by individuals | Minor | Jaspan 1964: 9; Marsden 1784: 56-158 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Trade / wage labour as a source of food | Minor | Jaspan 1964: 9; Marsden 1784: 140-158 |
| 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.) | Jaspan 1964: 66, 75 |
| 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) | Jaspan 1964: 66, 75 |
| 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.) | Jaspan 1964: 75 |
| Resident missionary involvement in conversion process | Present, and from Austronesian societies only (Resident foreign missionaries played an important role in the conversion process, but these missionaries were from other Austronesian societies only.) | Jaspan 1964: 66, 75 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Syncretic religious movements | Absent | Jaspan 1964 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Replacement-level immigration | Low (Replacement-level immigration occurred. The immigrant culture had a population size more than 10% of that of the indigenous culture at one time or another, but this figure never exceeded 50%.) | Znoj 1998: 197 |
| 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.) | Birt 2008: 67; 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.) | Nelson 1995: 214 |
| 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.) | Jaspan and King 1981: 7, 12 |
| 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.) | Znoj 1998: 202; Birt 2008: 164; Nelson 1995: 199 |
| 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.) | Birt 2008: 92-94, 139 |
| Sea port | Present (At one time or another during the post-contact period most members of the culture had access to a sea port.) | Agency 2009: 158; Birt 2008: 139 |
| 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.) | Jaspan and King 1981: 7; Jaspan 1964: 51 |
| Nature of loss of autonomy – voluntary vs. forced | Largely involuntary (autonomy was lost largely as a result of external force) | Jaspan and King 1981: 7; Jaspan 1964: 51 |