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Datuk (or its variant Dato or Datu) is a Malay title commonly used in
Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by t ...
,
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, and
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, as well as a traditional title by Minangkabau people in
West Sumatra West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 cen ...
,
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
. The title of the wife of Datuk is Datin.


Origin

The oldest historical records mentioning about the title ''datuk'' is the 7th century Srivijayan inscriptions such as Telaga Batu from Palembang,
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, to describe lesser kings or vassalized kings. It was called ''dātu'' in
Old Malay language Malay was first used in the first millennia known as Old Malay, a part of the Austronesian language family. Over a period of two millennia, Malay has undergone various stages of development that derived from different layers of foreign influenc ...
to describe regional leader or elder, a kind of
chieftain A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribe The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia. Tribal societies are sometimes categorized a ...
that rules of a collection of ''
kampung A kampong (''kampung'' in Malay and Indonesian) is the term for a village in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and a "port" in Cambodia. The term applies to traditional villages, especially of the indigenous people, and has also been used ...
s'' (villages) called Kedatuan. The Srivijaya empire was described as a network or
mandala A mandala ( sa, मण्डल, maṇḍala, circle, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for e ...
that consisted of settlements, villages, and ports each ruled by a datu that vowed their loyalty (''persumpahan'') to the central administration of Srivijayan
Maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...
. Unlike the indianized title of
raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...
and
maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...
, the term datuk was also found in the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
as
datu ''Datu'' is a title which denotes the rulers (variously described in historical accounts as chiefs, sovereign princes, and monarchs) of numerous indigenous peoples throughout the Philippine archipelago. The title is still used today, especial ...
, which suggests its common native Austronesian origin. The term ''kadatwan'' or ''kedaton'' refer to the residence of datuk, equivalent with
keraton Kraton or keraton ( jv, ꦏꦿꦠꦺꦴꦤ꧀ or ꦏꦼꦫꦠꦺꦴꦤ꧀) is a type of royal palace in Java, Indonesia. Its name is derived from the Javanese ''ka-ratu-an'', meaning residence of the ''ratu'', the traditional honorific title f ...
and istana. In later Mataram Javanese culture, the term kedaton shifted to refer the inner private compound of the keraton, the residential complex of king and royal family.


Usage


Title of honours

In
Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by t ...
and
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, Datuk or Dato is related to each country's orders (). In general, it is a title or the prefix of a title given to a person upon being conferred with certain orders of honour. The power to bestow the order, thus the title, lies with the country's sovereign ( Sultan in Brunei, and
Yang Di-Pertuan Agong The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (, Jawi: ), also known as the Supreme Head of the Federation, the Paramount Ruler or simply as the Agong, and unofficially as the King of Malaysia, is the constitutional monarch and head of state of Malaysia. The o ...
in Malaysia for federal orders) as well as the ceremonial leaders of the
states of Malaysia The states and federal territories of Malaysia are the principal administrative divisions of Malaysia. Malaysia is a federation of 13 states (''Negeri'') and 3 federal territories (''Wilayah Persekutuan''). States and federal territories Ele ...
for state orders. The usage of the variant spelling "Datuk" and "Dato" is differentiated in the following manner: "Datuk" is conferred by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and
Yang di-Pertua Negeri In Malaysia, the Yang di-Pertua Negeri ( in Malay) is a constitutional title given to the head of state in states without a Ruler, namely: Penang, Malacca, Sabah and Sarawak. This is in constrast to a Ruler () which is a constitutional title giv ...
, the non-hereditary Malaysian state leader which is nominated by the state legislature. Meanwhile, "Dato" is conferred by a Sultan, the royal head of Brunei and some Malaysian states, as well as
Yamtuan Besar Yamtuan, also known officially as Yang di-Pertuan Besar and unofficially as Grand Ruler, is the royal title of the ruler of the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan. The Grand Ruler of Negeri Sembilan is elected by a council of ruling chiefs in th ...
which is the royal head of the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan. A female conferred with the order in her own right may be given with the title in which the word "Datuk" or "Dato" is replaced with "Datin". Nevertheless, a female may still be given the masculine form of the title. The wife of the husband who is conferred with Datuk or Dato is given the title "Datin". However, the husband of the wife who is given such title is not given any Datuk-related title. Some official sources suggest that Datuk or Dato can be considered the equivalent of the title "
Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...
", which is used by male citizens of the Commonwealth who have received a British
knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...
. In 1808 a principal advisor of Sultan Tajuddin of Songkhla in present-day Thailand had an advisor/chancellor by name of Datuk Maharaja. This shows the early use of the title.


Minangkabau tradition

In
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, datuk refers to honorific title of traditional community, especially among Malay and Minangkabau people. It is functioned as a title reserved for community leader that deals with traditions and community affairs. In Minangkabau tradition, Datuk (or ''Datuak'') is a traditional, honorary title bestowed on a person by the agreement of a people or tribe in the Minangkabau language, spoken by the Minangkabau people.Navis A.A., (1984), ''Layar Terkembang Jadi Guru: Adat dan Kebudayaan Minangkabau'', Jakarta: PT. Grafiti Pers. (Indonesian) The title of ''Datuk'' was agreed upon by local, traditional leaders (''Kerapatan Adat Nagari''). The title engenders great respect, and is only used for Minangkabau men who have become stakeholders of traditional leaders or ''penghulu'' (noblemen) for a particular tribe. When the title is bestowed, it is celebrated with a traditional ceremony (''Malewa Gala'') and a banquet. Unlike other Malay traditions, the title of ''datuk'' in Minangkabau is inherited according to the matrilineal system. When a ''datuk'' dies his title may pass to his brother or nephew, whoever is closest in the maternal line. If there is no maternal relative, it may be given to another tribal member with the agreement of the tribe. In the tradition of the
Toba Batak people Toba people (Surat Batak: ᯅᯖᯂ᯲ ᯖᯬᯅ) also referred to as Batak Toba people are the largest group of the Batak people of North Sumatra, Indonesia. The common phrase of ‘Batak’ usually refers to the Batak Toba people. This mist ...
, a datu is magician-priest who teach divination and magic via his book the
pustaha Pustaha ( Toba Batak: ᯇᯮᯘ᯲ᯖᯂ) is the magic book of the Toba Batak people of North Sumatra, Indonesia. The book contains magical formulas, divinations, recipes, and laws. The pustaha is written and compiled by a Batak magician-priest (d ...
.


See also

* Malay styles and titles *
Indian honorifics Indian honorifics are honorific titles or appendices to names used in the Indian subcontinent, covering formal and informal social, commercial, and religious relationships. These may take the form of prefixes, suffixes or replacements. Native hon ...
, Indonesian and Malay titles originated from these * Greater India *
Indosphere Indosphere is a term coined by the linguist James Matisoff for areas of Indian linguistic and cultural influence in South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is commonly used in areal linguistics in contrast with Sinosphere. Influence The Tibeto-Burma ...
* Princely state * Principality


References

{{reflist Honorifics Malay culture Noble titles of Indonesia Malaysian honours list