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 | Evidence of influence (Evidence of Christian influence on supernatural belief.) | Macgregor 1937: 29-34 |
| 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: 2.21 |
| (Low) contact with other societies (SCCS v 787) | Occasional but not often (e.g. once in a generation) | Macgregor 1937: 26-32; Huntsman 1996: 139-147 |
| 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: 2.23 |
| Distance to closest landmass inhabited by a different culture (km) | 461 | Calculator 2014; Huntsman 1991: 330; Macgregor 1937: 4, 7 |
| Distance to nearest continent (km) | 4101 | Calculator 2014; Huntsman 1991: 330; Macgregor 1937: 4 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Longitude of culture’s location (°) | -171.2 | 2014; Huntsman 1991: 330 |
| Latitude of culture’s location (°) | -9.4 | 2014; Huntsman 1991: 330 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Number of islands inhabited by culture | Three | Huntsman 1996: 19-20, 28 |
| 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) | Huntsman 1991: 330 |
| Maximum elevation (meters) | 3 | 2008 |
| Island Size (km²) | 4 | 2008: 5 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Estimate of culture population size at relevant time focus | 1000 | Huntsman 1996: 35-36 |
| 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.) | Macgregor 1937: 35 |
| 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.) | Macgregor 1937: 35 |
| Polygamy (SCCS 861) | Limited polygyny (< 20% of married males) | Macgregor 1937: 41-42 |
| Marital residence (SCCS 69) | Matrilocal or uxorilocal - with wife's kin | Huntsman 1991: 331 |
| Kinship system (if applicable) | Hawaiian | Huntsman 1991: 331 |
| Estimated population of largest political community | 1,000-9,999 | Huntsman 1996: 35-36 |
| Political Authority | Supralocal (encompasses multiple local groups) | Macgregor 1937: 49-50; Huntsman 1996: 137 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| (No) conflict (social or political) within the local community (SCCS v 767) | Low (Conflict seldom occurs, and is almost never violent.) | Huntsman 1991: 332 |
| (No) internal warfare (between communities of the same society) (SCCS v 773) | Rare or never | Huntsman 1991: 332 |
| (No) external warfare (with other societies) (SCCS v 774) | Occasional, at least every generation | Macgregor 1937: 16-34; Huntsman 1996: 127-147 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Metalworking | Absent | Macgregor 1937: 92-158 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Animal husbandry as a source of food | Absent | Macgregor 1937: 147, 150 |
| Land-based hunting performed by individuals | Absent | Macgregor 1937: 147-150 |
| Land-based gathering | Major | J. 1973; Macgregor 1937: 147, 149 |
| Land-based hunting performed by one or more groups | Absent | Macgregor 1937: 147-150 |
| Agriculture / Horticulture | Principal (more important than any other source of food) | J. 1973; Macgregor 1937: 147-148 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Water-based gathering | Medium | Macgregor 1937: 147, 150 |
| Fishing and water-based hunting performed by one or more groups | Medium | Macgregor 1937: 92-110, 150 |
| Fishing and water-based hunting performed by individuals | Major | Macgregor 1937: 92-110, 150 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Trade / wage labour as a source of food | Absent | Macgregor 1937: 145-151 |
| 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 bottom-up process. | Huntsman 1996: 181-215 |
| 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) | Huntsman 1996: 181-215 |
| 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.) | Huntsman 1991: 330 |
| 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.) | Huntsman 1996: 181-215 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Syncretic religious movements | Absent | Huntsman 1991: 330; Huntsman 1996: 181-215 |
| 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.) | Foster 2021 |
| 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.) | Huntsman 1991: 330; Foster 2021 |
| 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.) | Foster 2021 |
| Foreign government systems | Present, but of low importance (At one time or another during the post-contact period, the culture was subject to a foreign government system, but this government system never controlled most important decisions.) | Huntsman 1991: 330; Foster 2021 |
| 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.) | Foster 2021 |
| 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 .) | Foster 2021 |
| 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.) | Foster 2021 |
| Sea port | Absent (At no time during the post-contact period did most members of the culture have access to a sea port.) | Foster 2021 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Loss of autonomy during postcontact period | Medium (The culture maintained some political autonomy throughout the post-contact period, but on at least one occasion during the post-contact period the culture entered into a political relationship with a foreign power that involved some loss of autonomy.) | Huntsman 1991: 330; Foster 2021 |
| 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.) | J. 1973: 257-273; Foster 2021 |