Pulotu
Database of Austronesian Religions
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Austronesian population | Absent: No evidence of human occupation prior to Austronesian settlement | Bellwood 1995: 109, 123 |
| 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.) | Birket-Smith 1969: 15 |
| 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) | Birket-Smith 1969: 116 |
| 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) | 23 | Calculator 2014; Birket-Smith 1969: 8 |
| Distance to nearest continent (km) | 1543 | Calculator 2014 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Longitude of culture’s location (°) | 160.3 | 2014; Birket-Smith 1969: 8 |
| Latitude of culture’s location (°) | -11.6 | Birket-Smith 1969: 8 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Number of islands inhabited by culture | One | Birket-Smith 1969: 8 |
| 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) | Birket-Smith 1969: 8 |
| Maximum elevation (meters) | 160 | Birket-Smith 1969: 8 |
| Island Size (km²) | 650 | Birket-Smith 1969: 8 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Estimate of culture population size at relevant time focus | 1000 | Birket-Smith 1969: 30 |
| Importance of Matrilateral descent (V.2) | Low (Matrilateral descent plays little or no role in determining social status and / or group membership.) | Birket-Smith 1969: 112 |
| 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.) | Birket-Smith 1969: 112 |
| Polygamy (SCCS 861) | Limited polygyny (< 20% of married males) | Birket-Smith 1969: 112 |
| Marital residence (SCCS 69) | Patrilocal or virilocal - with husband's kin | Hays 1991: 277 |
| Estimated population of largest political community | 100-999 | Birket-Smith 1969: 18, 30, 38-41, 116-117 |
| Political Authority | Local (encompasses the local community and / or multiple sublocal groups) | Birket-Smith 1969: 18, 38-55, 116-117 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| (No) conflict (social or political) within the local community (SCCS v 767) | High (Conflict is frequent and often violent, but is not a pervasive aspect of daily life.) | Elbert 1965: 16; Birket-Smith 1969: 44 |
| (No) internal warfare (between communities of the same society) (SCCS v 773) | Frequent, occurring at least yearly | Elbert 1965: 16; Birket-Smith 1969: 116-117 |
| (No) external warfare (with other societies) (SCCS v 774) | Occasional, at least every generation | Kuschel 1988; Birket-Smith 1969: 116 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Metalworking | Absent | Birket-Smith 1969: 89-104 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Animal husbandry as a source of food | Minor | Birket-Smith 1969: 76-77 |
| Land-based hunting performed by individuals | Minor | Birket-Smith 1969: 75-81 |
| Land-based gathering | Medium | Birket-Smith 1969: 80, 81 |
| Land-based hunting performed by one or more groups | Absent | Birket-Smith 1969: 75-81 |
| Agriculture / Horticulture | Principal (more important than any other source of food) | Birket-Smith 1969: 56-57, 81 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Water-based gathering | Medium | Birket-Smith 1969: 14, 80-81 |
| Fishing and water-based hunting performed by one or more groups | Medium | Birket-Smith 1969: 64-75, 80-81 |
| Fishing and water-based hunting performed by individuals | Minor | Birket-Smith 1969: 64-75 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Trade / wage labour as a source of food | Absent | Birket-Smith 1969: 16 |
| 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. | Monberg 1962; Birket-Smith 1969: 16-17 |
| 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) | Monberg 1962 |
| 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.) | Birket-Smith 1969: 21 |
| Resident missionary involvement in conversion process | Absent (Resident foreign missionaries played no role, or only a minimal role, in the conversion process.) | Monberg 1962 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Syncretic religious movements | Absent | of Provincial Government and Development 2001: 5; Elbert 1965: 19 |
| 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.) | of Provincial Government and Development 2001: 10-12 |
| 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.) | of Provincial Government and Development 2001: 10 |
| 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.) | of Provincial Government and Development 2001: 23 |
| 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.) | of Provincial Government and Development 2001: 7 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Changes in means of subsistence | Low (Principal and major means of subsistence have not changed from their indigenous states.) | of Provincial Government and Development 2001: 17-19 |
| 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 .) | of Provincial Government and Development 2001: 19-20 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicles and roads | Present but rarely used (At no time during the post-contact period were motor vehicles used by a substantial portion of the population, but at one time or another most members of population had access to roads suitable for motor vehicles.) | of Provincial Government and Development 2001: 14 |
| 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.) | of Provincial Government and Development 2001: 14 |
| Sea port | Absent (At no time during the post-contact period did most members of the culture have access to a sea port.) | of Provincial Government and Development 2001: 14 |
| 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.) | of Provincial Government and Development 2001: 6 |
| 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.) | Kuschel 1988 |