Kadatuan

''Kedatuan'' (Old Malay, Philippine, and Sundanese spelling: ''kadatuan''; Javanese romanization: ''kedaton'') were historical semi-independent city-states or principalities throughout ancient Maritime Southeast Asia in the present-day Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia. In a modern Indonesian/ Malay sense, they could be described as kingdoms or polities. The earliest written record mentioning the term ''kadatuan'' was the 7th-century Srivijayan Telaga Batu and Kota Kapur inscription from Sumatra, Indonesia.

Etymology

''Kedatuan'' and ''kadatuan'' are derived from the root word ''datu'', which is derived from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian ''datu'', with the possible reconstructed meaning of "lineage priest". Cognates in modern Austronesian languages include ''datu'' or ''dato'' in Philippine languages; ''datu'' in Acehnese, Minangkabau, Balinese, Makassarese, Mongondow, etc.; ''datuk'' in Malay; ''rato'' in Madurese; ''ratu'' in Javanese and Sundanese; ''ratu'' or ''latu'' in Maluku and the Lesser Sunda Islands; ''ratu'' in Fijian; ''rātū'' in Wayan (West Fijian); and ''lātū'' in Samoan. All of these have meanings related to leaders, heads of clans or ancestors, or men/women who are wealthy, respected, or skilled.

In the Philippines, ''kadatuan'' either means "the domain/jurisdiction of the ''datu''" or was an abstract noun about the rank of the ''datu'', formed by adding the circumfix '' ka- -an'' to ''datu''. ''Datu'' (also spelled ''dato'') referred to hereditary rulers of independent communities (called ''barangay'', ''dulohan'', ''pulok'', ''banwa'', etc. in various ethnic groups), as well as to paramount rulers who ruled over other ''datu'' with varying degrees of influence and prestige. They were present throughout the islands, from small villages to large loosely federated thalassocracies. Paramount ''datu'', who ruled larger city-states connected to maritime trading routes, often took on other titles like ''lakan'' or loanwords like ''rajah'' or ''sultan'', depending on ethnic group. They were first described by Spanish colonizers in the Boxer Codex (c.1590). During the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines, the ''datu'' became part of the native aristocracy, the '' principalia''. They were part of the colonial government, often serving as ''gobernadorcillos'' and '' cabezas de barangay'' (elected town and village mayors).Emma Helen Blair and James Alexander Robertson, ''The Philippine Islands (1493–1898)'', Cleveland: The A.H. Clark Company, 1903, Vol. XL Among the Muslim Filipinos, the ''datu'' was part of a more centralized political system (sultanates) that paid obeisance to a royal family of the sultans.

The term ''kadatuan'' in Old Malay means "the realm of the ''datu''" or "the residence of the ''datu''". Constructed from the old Malay stem word ''datu'' with circumfix ''ke- -an'' to denote place. It is derived from ''datu'' or ''datuk'', an ancient Austronesian title, and position for regional leader or elder that is used throughout Maritime Southeast Asia. It was mentioned in several inscriptions such as the 7th-century Srivijayan Old Malay Telaga Batu inscription and the 14th-century Old Sundanese Astana Gede inscription. In a wider sense, the term could refer to the whole principality, while in a smaller sense however, it could refer to the palace where the ''datu'' resides. The Kota Kapur inscription mentions "''manraksa yan kadatuan çrivijaya''" (to protect the Kadatuan of Srivijaya), thus Srivijaya is described as a ''kadatuan''. From a Srivijayan perspective, the realm of the Kadatuan Srivijaya consisted of several ''wanua'' (settlements), each led by a ''datu'' (''datuk''), which means a community leader or elder. All of this realm was under the control of the central ''kadatuan'', also led by a ''datu''. The highest ''datu'' in Srivijaya was Dapunta Hyang.

''Kedatuan'' is known and widely spread in the islands of Southeast Asia, including the east coast of Sumatra, the Minangkabau lands, the Malay Peninsula, the Borneo coast and the Philippine archipelago. In Javanese, the term ''ratu'' is used instead of ''datu'', thus in Java ''karaton'', '' keraton'', or ''kraton'' is used instead of ''kedaton'' to describe the residence of the regional leader. The term is also known in Java as ''kedaton'', the meaning however, has shifted to an architectural term to refer to the inner compound of the living quarter inside the '' keraton'' (palace) complex. For example, there is the ''kedaton'' complex within the central part of Keraton Surakarta Palace in Central Java.

Political relations

Smaller ''kedatuan'' often became subordinated to more powerful neighboring ''kedatuan'', which in turn were subordinate to a central king (''maharaja''). The more powerful ''kedatuan'' sometimes grew to become powerful kingdoms and occasionally tried to liberate themselves from their suzerain and sometimes enjoyed times of independence, and in turn, might have subjugated neighboring ''kedatuan''. ''Kedatuan'', large and small, often shifted allegiance or paid tribute to more than one powerful neighbor.

Some ''kedatuan'', such as Srivijaya, rose to become empires. It is suggested that during its early formation, Srivijaya was a collection or some kind of federation consisting of several kadatuans (local principalities), all swearing allegiance to the central ruling ''kadatuan'' ruled by the Srivijayan ''maharaja''.

See also

* Barangay, a specific term for the same system of independent and semi-independent city-states used in the Philippines
* Mueang, a similar concept in mainland Southeast Asia, especially in Thailand and Laos
* Mandala, political model in ancient Southeast Asia

References

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Types of administrative division