Ulithi

• Traditional Culture (1936)
  • Isolation
    Isolation

    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.)	Lessa 1950: 13
    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)	Frequent, through trade, warfare, travel, etc. (e.g. yearly or most years)	Lessa 1950: 9, 12-15
    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)	77.2	Calculator 2014; Lessa 1950: 9
    Distance to nearest continent (km)	2301	2014; Lessa 1950: 5

  • Physical Environment
    Location

    Question	Response	Source
    Longitude of culture’s location (°)	139.7	2014; Lessa 1950: 5-6
    Latitude of culture’s location (°)	10.1	2014; Lessa 1950: 5-6

    Geographical Range of Culture

    Question	Response	Source
    Number of islands inhabited by culture	One	Lessa 1950: 9

    Features of Island with Largest Culture Population

    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)	Lessa 1950: 5
    Maximum elevation (meters)	6.5	Lessa 1950: 10
    Island Size (km²)	4.7	Lessa 1950: 10

  • Social Environment
    Social Environment

    Question	Response	Source
    Estimate of culture population size at relevant time focus	450	Lessa 1950: 24
    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.)	Lessa 1991: 359
    Importance of Patrilateral descent (V.2)	Low (Patrilateral descent plays little or no role in determining social status and / or group membership.)	Lessa 1991: 359
    Polygamy (SCCS 861)	Monogamy prescribed	Lessa 1991: 359
    Marital residence (SCCS 69)	Patrilocal or virilocal - with husband's kin	Lessa 1991: 359
    Kinship system (if applicable)	Crow	Lessa 1991: 359
    Estimated population of largest political community	100-999	Lessa 1966: 147-148; Lessa 1950: 14, 92
    Political Authority	Supralocal (encompasses multiple local groups)	Lessa 1950: 16-17, 32, 147-148

    Conflict

    Question	Response	Source
    (No) conflict (social or political) within the local community (SCCS v 767)	Low (Conflict seldom occurs, and is almost never violent.)	Lessa 1950: 108
    (No) internal warfare (between communities of the same society) (SCCS v 773)	Rare or never	Lessa 1950: 108
    (No) external warfare (with other societies) (SCCS v 774)	Rare or never	Lessa 1966: 35-39; Lessa 1950: 12-15

  • Subsistence and Economy
    Land-based means of subsistence

    Question	Response	Source
    Animal husbandry as a source of food	Minor	Lessa 1950: 36
    Land-based hunting performed by individuals	Absent	Lessa 1950: 35
    Land-based gathering	Minor	Lessa 1950: 34-35
    Land-based hunting performed by one or more groups	Absent	Lessa 1950: 35
    Agriculture / Horticulture	Principal (more important than any other source of food)	Lessa 1950: 36

    Water-based means of subsistence

    Question	Response	Source
    Water-based gathering	Minor	Lessa 1950: 34-35
    Fishing and water-based hunting performed by one or more groups	Major	Lessa 1950: 35-36
    Fishing and water-based hunting performed by individuals	Minor	Lessa 1950: 35-36

    Commercial Activity

    Question	Response	Source
    Trade / wage labour as a source of food	Major	Lessa 1966: 40-52, 47-48

• Post Contact History (1936-2014)
  • Religious History
    Conversion

    Question	Response	Source
    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)	Lessa 1950: 13-14
    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.)	Lessa 1950: 14
    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.)	Lessa 1950: 14

  • Secular History
    Demographic and Social Changes

    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%.)	Lessa 1966: 125
    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.)	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.)	Lessa 1950: 14-15
    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.)	Lessa 1950: 14

    Economic Changes

    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.)	Michio et al. 2003: 51, 53
    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.)	Lessa 1950: 14-15

    Modern Infrastructure

    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.)
    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.)	Hancock et al. 2007: 157
    Sea port	Absent (At no time during the post-contact period did most members of the culture have access to a sea port.)	Hancock et al. 2007: 157

    Loss of Autonomy

    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.)	Lessa 1950: 13-15
    Nature of loss of autonomy – voluntary vs. forced	Partly voluntary (e.g. Autonomy was ceded voluntarily but under duress; some communities ceded their autonomy voluntarily but others were forced to do so by an foreign power.)	Lessa 1950: 13-15