In early Philippine history, the

rank A rank is a position in a hierarchy. It can be formally recognized—for example, cardinal, chief executive officer, general, professor—or unofficial. People Formal ranks * Academic rank * Corporate title * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy ...

of ''lakan'' denoted a "

paramount ruler {{Use American English, date=December 2018 The term paramount ruler, or sometimes paramount king, is a generic description, though occasionally also used as an actual title, for a number of rulers' position in relative terms, as the summit of a f ...

" (or more specifically, "'' paramount datu''") of one of the large coastal

barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...

s (known as a "bayan") on the central and southern regions of the island of

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

Overview

The ''lakan'' was democratically selected by other ruling

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, though no ...

s from among themselves to serve as their "''pangulo''" (head). Writers such as William Henry Scott have suggested that this rank is equivalent to that of

rajah Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The title has a long ...

, and that different ethnic groups either used one term or the other, or used the two words interchangeably.Scott, William Henry, Barangay: Sixteenth-Century Philippine Culture and Society, Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1994. But other writers such as

Nick Joaquin Nicomedes "Nick" Marquez Joaquin (; May 4, 1917 – April 29, 2004) was a Filipino writer and journalist best known for his short story, short stories and novels in the English language. He also wrote using the pen name Quijano de Manila. Joaq ...

have suggested that the usage of the term "rajah" specifically indicates leadership of a bayan or barangay which has extensive trade relations with Muslim traders. Equivalent terms for this rank include the term "

sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

" in the Muslim polities of

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...

, and the term "

" as used by various polities in the

Visayas The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands (Bisayan languages, Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; Filipino language, Filipino: ''Kabisayaan'' ), are one of the three Island groups of the Philippines, principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, a ...

and in some areas of

Orthography

There is no particular legal or academic prescription of orthography for the title of ''lakan''. Thus it may be spelled separate from the person's name (e.g. "Lakan Dula"), or be incorporated with the name to form a single word (e.g. "Lakandula"). Rajah and lakan: It is sometimes argued that since the titles "rajah" and "lakan" are roughly equivalent, the two should not be used together. Thus, referring to Lakandula as Rajah Lakandula is said to be the result of mistaking Lakandula to be the full proper name of the said king.

Prominent lakans

Users of the title ''lakan'' that figure in 16th- and 17th-century Spanish colonial accounts of Philippine history include: *

Lakandula Lakandula (Baybayin: , Filipino orthography, Spanish orthography: ''Lacandola'') was the title of the last ''lakan'' or paramount ruler of History of the Philippines (900–1521), pre-colonial Tondo (historical polity), Tondo when the Spain, Sp ...

(later christened as Don Carlos Lacandola), ruler of Tondo when the Spanish conquest of

began. *Lakan Tagkan, ruler of

Namayan Namayan (Baybayin: Pre-Kudlit: or (''Sapa''), Post-Kudlit: ), also called SapaLocsin, Leandro V. and Cecilia Y. Locsin. 1967. ''Oriental Ceramics Discovered in the Philippines.'' Vermont: Charles E. Tuttle Company. and sometimes Lamayan, ...

Present-day usage

In present-day culture, the term is still occasionally used to mean "

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

", but has mostly been adapted to other uses. The name of Malacañan Palace, the official residence of the president of the Republic of the Philippines, is traditionally attributed to the phrase ''may lakan diyan'', or "the king r headresides there". In Filipino Martial Arts, ''lakan'' denotes an equivalent to the black belt rank. Also, beauty contests in the Philippines have taken to referring to the winner as "lakambini", the female equivalent of ''lakan''. In such cases, the contestant's assigned escort can be referred to as a ''lakan''. More often, a male pageant winner is named a ''lakan''. Philippine National Police Academy graduates are called ''lakan'' (male) and ''lakambini'' (female)

Overview

Orthography

Prominent lakans

Present-day usage

See also

Sources