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.) | Sibeth 1991: 21-23; Sinaga 1981: 27-28 |
| Hindu / Buddhist influence on supernatural belief | Evidence of influence (Evidence of Hindu / Buddhist influence on supernatural belief.) | Cribb 2000: Map 2.21; Loeb 1974: 77-78; Sibeth 1991: 14, 21 |
| (Low) contact with other societies (SCCS v 787) | Frequent, through trade, warfare, travel, etc. (e.g. yearly or most years) | Sibeth 1991: 22 |
| 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.) | Sinaga 1981: 27 |
| Distance to closest landmass inhabited by a different culture (km) | 0 | Sibeth 1991: 8 |
| Distance to nearest continent (km) | 150 | Calculator 2014; Sibeth 1991: 8 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Longitude of culture’s location (°) | 99 | 2014; Sibeth 1991: 8 |
| Latitude of culture’s location (°) | 2.3 | 2014; Sibeth 1991: 8 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Number of islands inhabited by culture | One | Sibeth 1991: 8 |
| 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 | 300000 | Sibeth 1991: 34 |
| Importance of Matrilateral descent (V.2) | Low (Matrilateral descent plays little or no role in determining social status and / or group membership.) | Vergouwen 1964: 17 |
| 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.) | Vergouwen 1964: 17 |
| Polygamy (SCCS 861) | Limited polygyny (< 20% of married males) | Vergouwen 1964: 232-237 |
| Marital residence (SCCS 69) | Patrilocal or virilocal - with husband's kin | Lebar (eds.) 1972: 21 |
| Estimated population of largest political community | 1,000-9,999 | Vergouwen 1964: 107 |
| Political Authority | Supralocal (encompasses multiple local groups) | Vergouwen 1964: 105-136 |
| 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.) | Sibeth 1991: 39-48 |
| (No) internal warfare (between communities of the same society) (SCCS v 773) | Common, at least every five years | Viner 1979 |
| (No) external warfare (with other societies) (SCCS v 774) | Rare or never | Viner 1979 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Metalworking | Present | Lebar (eds.) 1972: 21 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Animal husbandry as a source of food | Minor | Lebar (eds.) 1972: 21 |
| Land-based hunting performed by individuals | Minor | Sibeth 1991: 34 |
| Land-based gathering | Medium | Loeb 1974: 25 |
| Land-based hunting performed by one or more groups | Minor | Sibeth 1991: 34 |
| Agriculture / Horticulture | Principal (more important than any other source of food) | Lebar (eds.) 1972: 20; Sibeth 1991: 32 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Water-based gathering | Minor | Lebar (eds.) 1972: 20-21; Sibeth 1991: 31-35 |
| Fishing and water-based hunting performed by one or more groups | Medium | Lebar (eds.) 1972: 21 |
| Fishing and water-based hunting performed by individuals | Medium | Lebar (eds.) 1972: 21 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Trade / wage labour as a source of food | Minor | Lebar (eds.) 1972: 22; Sibeth 1991: 34 |
| 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, although inroads had already been made with the general population. | Cunningham 1958: 37; Purba 2005: 215 |
| Use of force in conversion | Medium (e.g force was threatened or implied during the conversion process; some communities agreed to conversion but others were forced to convert) | Purba 2005: 215-218 |
| 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.) | Rodgers 1993: 41; Purba 2005: 208 |
| 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.) | Purba 2005: 215-216 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Syncretic religious movements | Present, but did not survive to the present-day | Hirosue 1994 |
| 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%.) | Rodgers 1993: 38; Purba 2005 |
| 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.) | Rodgers 1993: 38 |
| 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.) | Rodgers 1993: 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.) | Rodgers 1993: 40 |
| 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.) | Rodgers 1993: 39; Causey 2007: 266-268 |
| 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.) | Rodgers 1993: 38 |
| 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.) | Rodgers 1993: 39 |
| Air travel | Absent (At no time during the post-contact period did most members of the culture have access to an airport or airstrip.) | Causey 2007: 259 |
| Sea port | Absent (At no time during the post-contact period did most members of the culture have access to a sea port.) | Causey 2007: 259 |
| 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.) | Rodgers 1993: 39, 40 |
| Nature of loss of autonomy – voluntary vs. forced | Largely involuntary (autonomy was lost largely as a result of external force) | Rodgers 1993: 39 |