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.) | Weiner 1988: 10 |
| 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) | Weiner 1988: 10; Malinowsi 1922: 29-31 |
| 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) | 36.5 | Weiner 1988: 10; Calculator 2014 |
| Distance to nearest continent (km) | 929 | Weiner 1988: 10; Calculator 2014 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Longitude of culture’s location (°) | 151.1 | 2014; Weiner 1988: 10 |
| Latitude of culture’s location (°) | -8.5 | 2014; Weiner 1988: 10 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Number of islands inhabited by culture | Four or more | Weiner 1988: 10 |
| 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) | Weiner 1988: 11 |
| Maximum elevation (meters) | 46 | Heatwole 1975 |
| Island Size (km²) | 290.5 | Heatwole 1975; Ziegler and Jacobson 1984 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Estimate of culture population size at relevant time focus | 8000 | Weiner 1991: 348 |
| Importance of Matrilateral descent (V.2) | High (Matrilateral descent plays an important role in determining social status and / or group membership, and is more important than any other form of descent.) | Malinowsi 1922: 55 |
| Importance of Patrilateral descent (V.2) | Low (Patrilateral descent plays little or no role in determining social status and / or group membership.) | Malinowsi 1922: 55 |
| Polygamy (SCCS 861) | Monogamy preferred, but exceptional cases of polygyny | Malinowski 1929: 130 |
| Marital residence (SCCS 69) | Avunculocal - with husband's mother's brother's kin | Weiner 1991: 350 |
| Kinship system (if applicable) | Crow | Weiner 1991: 349 |
| Estimated population of largest political community | 1,000-9,999 | Young 1979; Weiner 1991: 348; Malinowsi 1922: 62-69 |
| Political Authority | Local (encompasses the local community and / or multiple sublocal groups) | Malinowsi 1922: 62-69 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| (No) conflict (social or political) within the local community (SCCS v 767) | Low (Conflict seldom occurs, and is almost never violent.) | Weiner 1991: 350 |
| (No) internal warfare (between communities of the same society) (SCCS v 773) | Common, at least every five years | Seligman 1910: 663 |
| (No) external warfare (with other societies) (SCCS v 774) | Occasional, at least every generation | Malinowsi 1922; Seligman 1910: 663-669 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Animal husbandry as a source of food | Medium | Young 1979: 26-28; Seligman 1910: 681 |
| Land-based hunting performed by individuals | Minor | Young 1979: 27 |
| Land-based gathering | Medium | Young 1979: 27 |
| Land-based hunting performed by one or more groups | Minor | Young 1979: 27 |
| Agriculture / Horticulture | Principal (more important than any other source of food) | Young 1979: 27 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Water-based gathering | Medium | Young 1979: 27 |
| Fishing and water-based hunting performed by one or more groups | Major | Young 1979: 7; 27; Malinowsi 1922: 67-68 |
| Fishing and water-based hunting performed by individuals | Minor | Villeminot 1974: 7; Young 1979: 27; Malinowsi 1922: 67-68 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Trade / wage labour as a source of food | Major | Malinowski 1921: 13-14 |
| 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, although those in power showed little or no reluctance. | Senft 1997: 48 |
| 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) | Villeminot 1967: 93-94; Senft 1997 |
| 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.) | McCarthy 2012: 33 |
| 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.) | Barker 1992: 33 |
| Question | Response | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Syncretic religious movements | Absent | Senft 1997 |
| 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.) | Weiner 1988: 20; Lepani 2007; McCarthy 2012: 20 |
| 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.) | Senft 2011: 101 |
| 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.) | McCarthy 2012: 111-112 |
| 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.) | McCarthy 2012: 113 |
| 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.) | Weiner 1988: 24; McCarthy 2013: 63 |
| 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.) | Connelly 2007: 17; McCarthy 2012: 165 |
| 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.) | McCarthy 2012: 146 |
| 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.) | McCarthy 2013: 24 |
| Sea port | Absent (At no time during the post-contact period did most members of the culture have access to a sea port.) | Agency 2009: 168; McCarthy 2012: 29 |
| 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.) | Connelly 2007: 15-16 |
| 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.) | Connelly 2007: 15-16 |