Rennell
Traditional Culture(1908-1933)Expand All +
Belief
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Supernatural Beings |
| Ancestral spirits | Present, and a major focus of supernatural practice (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 59-60, 115-116 Elbert & Monberg (1965), pp. 17 |
|
| God(s) | Present, and a major focus of supernatural practice (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 22-23, 50, 59-60 | |
Supernatural Punishment |
| Supernatural punishment for impiety | Present (Source) |
| Monberg (1962) | |
Afterlife and Creation |
| One's actions while living can affect the nature of one's afterlife | Absent (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 115-116 | |
| The actions of others after one has died can affect the nature of one's afterlife | Absent (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 115-116 | |
| Culture hero(es) | Present, but not a major focus of supernatural practice (Source) |
| Monberg (1991), pp. 24, 63-71, 98-106 | |
General Features |
| Forces of nature are controlled by or imbued with the supernatural | Present (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 22-23 | |
Classes of Tapu |
| Social hierarchy tapu | Present (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 41, 44 | |
| Resource management tapu | Present (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 44 | |
Mana |
| Mana as a spiritual or religious concept | Present (Source) |
| Blust (2007) | |
| Mana as a personal quality | Absent (Source) |
| Blust (2007), pp. 412 | |
| Mana related to social influence or technical skill | Absent (Source) |
| Blust (2007) | |
Practice
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General Supernatural Practices |
| Headhunting | Absent (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 127 | |
| Political and religious differentiation | Considerable overlap between religious and political leaders (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 41, 45 | |
Rites |
| Tooth pulling | Absent from culture (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 22-38, 105-116 | |
| Scarification | Present in culture, but not as a rite or feature of a rite (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 105-116 | |
| Piercing | Present in culture, but not as a rite or feature of a rite (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 38, 105-116 | |
| Tattooing | Present in the culture as a rite or feature of a rite (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 107-111 | |
| Genital cutting | Absent from culture (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 111 | |
Social Environment
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| Population | 1000 (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 30 | |
| Population of largest political community | 100-999 (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 18, 30, 38-41, 116-117 | |
| Importance of Patrilateral descent | High (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 112 | |
| Importance of Matrilateral descent | Low (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 112 | |
| Marital residence | Patrilocal or virilocal - with husband's kin (Source) |
| Hays (1991I), pp. 277 | |
| Polygamy | Limited polygyny (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 112 | |
Conflict |
| Conflict between communities of the culture | Frequent, occurring at least yearly (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 116-117 Elbert & Monberg (1965), pp. 16 |
|
| Conflict with other cultures | Occasional, at least every generation (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 116 Kuschel (1988a) |
|
| Conflict within communities | High (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 44 Elbert & Monberg (1965), pp. 16 |
|
Isolation
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| Contact with other cultures | Frequent, through trade, warfare, travel, etc. (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 116 | |
| Distance to closest landmass inhabited by a different culture (km) | 23.0 (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 8 Daft Logic Distance Calculator (2014) |
|
| Distance to nearest continent | 1543.0 (Source) |
| Daft Logic Distance Calculator (2014) | |
| Pre-Austronesian population | Absent: No evidence of human occupation prior to Austronesian settlement (Source) |
| Bellwood (1995), pp. 109, 123 | |
| Hindu / Buddhist influence on supernatural belief | No evidence of influence and not in region of known contact (Source) |
| Cribb (2000), pp. Map 2.21 | |
| Islamic influence on supernatural belief | No evidence of influence and not in region of known contact (Source) |
| Cribb (2000), pp. Map 2.23 | |
| Christian influence on supernatural belief | No evidence of influence but in a region where contact is likely (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 15 | |
Subsistence and Economy
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Land-based means of subsistence |
| Animal husbandry as a source of food | Minor (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 76-77 | |
| Land-based hunting performed by individuals | Minor (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 75-81 | |
| Land-based gathering | Medium (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 80, 81 | |
| Land-based hunting performed by one or more groups | Absent (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 75-81 | |
| Agriculture / Horticulture | Principal (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 56-57, 81 | |
Water-based means of subsistence |
| Fishing and water-based hunting performed by one or more groups | Medium (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 64-75, 80-81 | |
| Fishing and water-based hunting performed by individuals | Minor (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 64-75 | |
| Water-based gathering | Medium (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 14, 80-81 | |
Commercial Activity |
| Trade / wage labour as a source of food | Absent (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 16 | |
| Metalworking | Absent (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 89-104 | |
Physical Environment
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Geographical Range of Culture |
| Number of islands inhabited by culture | One (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 8 | |
Features of Island with Largest Culture Population |
| Island type (island with largest culture population or largest island if unknown) | Atoll (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 8 | |
| Island Size (km²) | 650.0 (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 8 | |
| Maximum elevation (meters) | 160.0 (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 8 | |
Location |
| Latitude | -11.6 (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 8 | |
| Longitude | 160.3 (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 8 Google Maps (2014) |
|
Post Contact History(1933-2014)Expand All +
Religious History
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Conversion |
| Role of social status in conversion process | Primarily a top-down process. (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 16-17 Monberg (1962) |
|
| Use of force in conversion | Low (Source) |
| Monberg (1962) | |
| Adoption of a world religion | Present and predominant (Source) |
| Birket-Smith (1969), pp. 21 | |
| Resident missionary involvement in conversion process | Absent (Source) |
| Monberg (1962) | |
Syncretic Movements |
| Syncretic religious movements | Absent (Source) |
| Solomon Islands Government (2001B), pp. 5 Elbert & Monberg (1965), pp. 19 |
|
Secular History
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Demographic and Social Changes |
| Foreign government systems | Present, and of high importance (Source) |
| Solomon Islands Government (2001B), pp. 7 | |
| Immigration | Absent (Source) |
| Solomon Islands Government (2001B), pp. 10-12 | |
| Language shift | Low (Source) |
| Solomon Islands Government (2001B), pp. 10 | |
| Foreign education systems | High (Source) |
| Solomon Islands Government (2001B), pp. 23 | |
Economic Changes |
| Changes in means of subsistence | Low (Source) |
| Solomon Islands Government (2001B), pp. 17-19 | |
| Exportation of goods to other cultures | Present but minor (Source) |
| Solomon Islands Government (2001B), pp. 19-20 | |
Modern Infrastructure |
| Vehicles and roads | Present but rarely used (Source) |
| Solomon Islands Government (2001B), pp. 14 | |
| Air travel | Present, local only (Source) |
| Solomon Islands Government (2001B), pp. 14 | |
| Sea port | Absent (Source) |
| Solomon Islands Government (2001B), pp. 14 | |
Loss of Autonomy |
| Nature of loss of autonomy | Largely voluntary (Source) |
| Kuschel (1988a) | |
| Loss of political autonoomy | High (Source) |
| Solomon Islands Government (2001B), pp. 6 | |
Current Culture(2014)Expand All +
Belief
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Religious Demographics |
| Unofficial religious syncretism | Low (Source) |
| Solomon Islands Government (2001A), pp. 5 Elbert & Monberg (1965), pp. 19 |
|
| Institutional religious syncretism | Low (Source) |
| Solomon Islands Government (2001A), pp. 5 Elbert & Monberg (1965), pp. 19 |
|
| Dominant world religion | Christianity (Source) |
| Solomon Islands Government (2001B), pp. 6 | |
External Links
References
Bellwood, P. (1995). Austronesian Prehistory in Southeast Asia: Homeland, Expansion and Transformation. P. Bellwood, J.J. Fox, & D. Tryon (Eds.), The Austronesians: Historical and Comparative Perspectives (pp 113-114). Canberra, Australia: ANU Press.
Birket-Smith, K. (1969). An Ethnological Sketch of Rennell Island, a Polynesian Outlier in Melanesia (2nd Edition). Copenhagen, Denmark: Bianco Lunos Bogtrykkeri.
Blust, R. (2007). Proto-Oceanic *Mana Revisited. Oceanic Linguistics, 46(2), 404-423. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20172322
Cribb, R. (2000). Historical atlas of Indonesia. Surrey, UK: Curzon Press.
Daft Logic Distance Calculator. (2014). http://www.daftlogic.com/projects-google-maps-distance-calculator.htm.
Elbert, S.H. & Monberg, T. (1965). From the Two Canoes: Oral Traditions on Rennell and Bellona Islands. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press.
Google Maps (2014). Retrieved from maps.google.com
Hays, T.E. (1991I). "Rennell Island". In T.E. Hays (Ed.) Encyclopaedia of World Cultures (Volume II: Oceania) (pp 277). New York, NY: G.K. Hall & Co.
Kuschel, R. (1988a). Early Contacts between Bellona and Rennell Islands and the Outside World. The Journal of Pacific History, 23 (2), 191-200. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/25168958.
Ministry of Provincial Government and Rural Development. (2001). Rennell and Bellona Province Development Profile. Honiara, Solomon Islands: Ministry of Provincial Government and Rural Development.
Monberg, T. (1962). Crisis and Mass Conversion on Rennell Island in 1938. The Journal of the Polynesian Society, 71 (2), 145-150. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20703992
Monberg, T. (1991). Bellona Island Beliefs and Rituals. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press.
Solomon Islands Government (2001). Malaita Province Development Profile. Honiara, Solomon Islands: Ministry of Provincial Government and Rural Development.