What is a Datu, a Rajah, and a Lakan? (Philippine Royalty) 

The TAGALOG version of this video will be posted tomorrow! Tune in 😉

Damn, our society was sophisticated even before spanish came. This is probably the reason why I am always fascinated to learn more about pre-colonial history. Maharlika ,madirigma, timawa , aliping namamahay and my most favorite Aliping saguiguilid!

I think the better analogy would be feudal Japan. Datu are the feudal lords or a Daimyo. The Raja is the Shogun or the warrior king. And the Lakan is the emperor, who was granted a leadership based on blood lineage to the Gods and Goddesses who created Japan.

So sad that just this day i learned so much about what 'history' truly is. But on the other hand it's so exciting to know who u really are as Filipino. Thank u and keep educating sir.. Love from Southern Leyte❤. I hope to see and have chat or know local historian here in Southern Leyte.

Datu- ruler Rajah-king/paramount king Lakan-Divine King

I like the way you compare our ancient system of goverment to the Game of Thrones.. It's called the Feudal System

Datu in Malaysia is spelled differently. In Malaysia, there are three versions. Though, people with the rank doesn't necessarily have royal ties. People get these ranks are mostly businessmen and politicians. However nowadays, people can buy these ranks to increase their credibility to their clients and as a show off. It's Honourable if the Sultan himself awards this title instead, based on your years of experience and hardwork dedication. 1) Dato' is for people getting that rank for their exemplary service in either one of the 13 States in Malaysia. 2) Datuk is also a rank given for their exemplary service, but only in the Federal Territories of Malaysia. 3) Atuk means grandfather or old men, but there are people who say Datuk. Maybe people say Datuk because of mispronounciation or y'know, children as they grow up tend to mispronounce things and when they become adults, they still call their grandfather Datuk, but this is in extreme rare cases.

Question lang kuya po. Didn't the term hari a misconception brought about by the spanish translators at the time and that the Datus were rulers of bayans. While Lakans were the paramount rulers of the Datu. My question would be if the term Hari or king would be a wrong way to describe them? As this term at the time be referred to the kings outside of the nation like those in china and Spain. Also I would like to learn about fortifications of pre colonial philippine. How they were constructed and how they were used. I've heard that there were castles at those times but, I would like to know more about the architecture of different tribes and bayans at the time. Also thank you for making quality videos about the philippine I really admire your comitment to educating our fellow countrymen and plus the philippine at that time is pretty dupe and interesting. Like raids to china, being mercenaries and also a pretty fun and unique culture that I wish would be touched more in school.

all my elementary history knowledge .... shattered ... tnx mate ... your doing a fine service ... our curriculum is in need of update

Thai - King Oldest System Brunei - King Oldest System with some Modern System Malaysia - King Oldest System + Modern System with 9 King every State...

Thank you so much! I love learning through you about my ancestors, as it is very difficult for me to do so having grown up as a half-blood in Germany...

We bisaya people, we also use sri Rajah humabon, and Sri balintawak

Your new studio is coming together very nicely! My family and all of our gongs moved recently too so I can really relate to what you must be going through. Thank you for this needed explanation of terminology. It reminds me of the lake in Meranao country that is referred to today as “Lake Lanao,” which literally is saying lake lake. Mikitiks!

datu is a chief of balangay , Rajah is a king , pero some histories shariff arab missionary pumunta dto sa borneo ,,tinatag ang sultanate ,,kaya ang rajah o raha ay naging mababa, Rajah muda o raha mura means the youngking ,,highest king sultan,,Salamat sa dagdag kaalaman

"Muda" is cognate to "mura," right? Halimbawa, pag hilaw pa ang gulay, minsan ang sinasabi ay "Mura pa 'yan, pahinugin pa natin." Sa Indonesian, alam ko ang ibig sabihin ng "muda" ay "young" (which would make sense kasi ang palayang kuya ni Rajah Muda/Sulayman ay "Rajah Matanda."). Also, posible kaya na ang pagbikas ng mga sinauna sa "rajah" ay "rasa"? Sa Baybayin kasi, walang simbolo para sa /j/ sound (Tama ba ako?). Puwede rin kayang "radya"? Kaso, sa Baybayin, wala ring simbolo para sa /dy/, pero hanggang ngayon, maraming matatanda ang hindi mabigkas ang /j/ nang malinaw. This possibly indicates na ang /j/ ay bago lang para at least sa mga ilang ethnic Luzones.

We also use Lakan as a Rank in Arnis, Kali, and Escrima.

Datu in Malaysia can be someone from the ruling royal family.....for example during the Malacca"s Malay Sultanate.....The Sultan normally appoint his uncle either from father or mother side as the Datu Bendahara or Prime Minster in the present day....

Very well explained. You so great research before producing vlog. In Sanskrit Raja means King, Datha means landlord or leader who feed his people. Love from 🇮🇳🇵🇭

Pwede rin sigurong gawing analogy na ang Raja and Lakan is equivalent of King, and every Datu is equivalent of Earl or Jarl, if we use History Channel's "VIKINGS" as an example...

Thank you! This was extremely helpful with my research! Subscribed!

Very informative. Thank you 😊

Hello po Kuya Kirby! I'm so thankful na nahanap ko channel mo. I am actually planning to write a fictional story based on Pre-Colonial Philippines history but I can't find any more info abt it here as internet. I'll be binge-watching your videos starting today at sana po makagawa rin kayo ng vid about as mga architectural designs ng pre-colonial Philippines palaces o kung ano man and tawag nila dyan. Stay safe po and Thank you!

Makes sense. Maraming Salamat! I'll be able to use this knowledge for when I meditate daily and give thanks to mga ninuno, diwata, anito, at Bathala.

Informative.

Good story telling. Thanks

I like to think of Pampanga as the Riverlands, from GOT, of The Philippines

Thank you Kirby!

Very nice!!! Keep up the good work

Very informative and entertaining!

Love watching your informative channel! Thank you.

I appreciate what you are doing. More power to you!

I'm now curious of Mindanao's royal system

Hi Im so amazed that you were a datu.. may datu pa pala hanggang ngayon, I'm just researching about datus and rajah and nakita ko ito very educational po!! tha k youu. also abangan ko po yung about sa philippine indigenous writing scripts, I really love writing suyat - baybayin, hanunuo, tagbanwa and buhid

Almost all of the title are comparable to Malaysia/Indonesia feudal system.

Interesting talaga😍💥❤️

I love the connection between our ancient and pre-Hispanic Philippine politics and our ancient and pre-Hispanic religions and beliefs. I am not sure with this knowledge, but I learned from the Philippine fictional and epic TV series "Amaya" of GMA Network that in the Visayas region (where the main protagonist of the series, Amaya, and all of the other characters mostly are from), a "babaylan" or "baylan" is a religious, spiritual, healing/medicine, cultural shaman of a tribe, mostly are women or also sometimes men (but what I also learned in other sources, is that these male babaylans or baylans are not necessarily cisgender masculine male men but may be of other sexual orientations, gender identities, or gender expressions, or are transvestites/cross-dresser men), highly reveared and respected by datus and rajas and are even serving as counselors to the rulers, and can reach a higher potential to highest power, transcendence, abilities, talents, wisdom, skills, and knowledge that are similar or even equal to a diwata (gods and goddeses/deities/divine and sacred higher beings) and be called, referred, or labeled as a "bunggaitan". A bunggaitan is a living human being similar or even equal to the deities, with immense spirituality higher than any humans, manifested through their talents, skills, abilities, wisdom, knowledge, power, and transcendence or self-actualization and realization of the highest of human potentials. A bunggaitan even before ro after physical dead can be reveared, respected, or even worshipped as a deity or a diwata, and more after physical dead, even being a hero/heroine and in equality with the other deities. In the series, Amaya is a "bai" (lady/princess/royal maiden) and a "binukot" (kept mostly hidden from other people except the immediate family, and must be kept pure and clean, even forbidding to step the ground/soil/earth to maintain physical purity and cleanliness. This is to continually give honor to her father who is a datu or raja, to her father's dignity, reputation, and status, and to honor her position or status, to her family and clan, to her purity, cleanliness, dignity, and reputation). Amaya later became an "uripon"(akin to oripun, oripon, uripun, and alipin) (servant/slave), then later became a "timawa" (free and common citizen), then an "alabay" (babaylan or baylan in training), also a "mandirigma" (warrior), then as far as I remembered about the series, she didn't became a "babaylan" or "baylan" but secretly and immediately or directly becomes a "bunggaitan" while also being widely known as a "datu", and thus regained her status as a part of the highest, upper, and ruling royal class. This concept of a creature becoming or being able to achieve the level similar or even equal to a deity is also found in another fantasy TV series in GMA Network, which is the Encantadia franchise, especially in the requel of the series in 2016-2017, wherein in the fictional world of Encantadia, a character "Cassiopeia" who was the first ruler and queen of the young queendom of Lireo, a pure-blooded diwata (a diwata in this series is not a deity but a race of enchanted beings or denizens of Encantadia who are the community or race who will later become the main residents of the queendom of Lireo. Pure diwatas in this series have pointed ears like elves, don't become old after reaching the height or peak of being a young adult, and possesses varied magical powers, beauty, and youthfulness, as well as immortality of life unless severely wounded and killed from any physical or magical and other non-physical means. Half-blooded and mixed diwatas in this series still possess the other qualities and characteristics of a pure diwata, but looses the pointed ears.) Cassiopeia is a fortuneteller, a seer, a clairvoyant, and a psychic who possesses all other psychic abilities and powers, which gained her the name "Mata" or the eye, due to her ability to see everything and all events that happens in the whole of Encantadia when she chooses. The only problem is she is still under and less powerful than their deities (their deities here are banished cherubs or powerful heavenly beings from a higher dimension or plane, sent and banished to a lower dimension and plane where three of them created Encantadia and its first denizens and all creatures of all of its races. These banished beings have various creative and destructive powers that are superior to the creatures and denizens but inferior and less powerful to some othee forces, instances, and circumstances of events, their creatures, and other fellow deities. They are the heavenly beings who didn't join the heavenly war between the good beings of light and the evil rebel beings of darkness, and they were labeled and treated as neithee of light nor darkness but of twilight, and thus doesn't belong to upper realm where they are from nor to the lowesr realms where the evil rebel veings of darkness where banished and punished. They were banished down to a magical realm/dimension wheich they named and called as Encantadia, and where they created and ruled over Encantadia and its magical creatures and denizens. In the requel, the origin story changed a little bit, and they were banished first and came to the human world or realm/dimension, saw human creatures already living there, but were not satisfied with humanity's powerlessness and need to work and do a lot of labor to achieve something, gain something, or want and need something, so they came to a different magical realm/dimension and created then ruled over Encantadia and its magical creatures and denizens). Cassiopeia, even a creature and a pure-blooded diwata, is able to reach and achieve transcendence in the end, which gained her the status of being in equal to the other deities of their world while still being a creature herself.

I become hooked on history again.....very informative talaga......danghan salamat din sayo...

you have mention that you are a direct descendant of Raja Matanda, can you please talk about your family tree? Starting from the farthest that you know, I would really love that. please

It’s like understanding the dynasty of China and its constitution with the CLAN LEADERS and etc. which made me confuse but finally understand it a little

Proud of my roots moro + lumad + bisaya ilocano ❤️

This is so incredibly insightful, helpful, and well-produced. Thanks for making these! Jumping onto Patreon NOW! :D Salamat!

Very great explanation ! Is there any la or rules in modern Philippines who regulate the use of the datu title ?

Fascinating. Kaso hnd kami kasali jan .Lol. We in the cordilleras had our own separate culture

Hi Kirby! Another eye opener you have there. Thank you for this video. I have some questions: 1. How does one become a Datu in pre-Hispanic Philippines? 2. If the Paramount Datus of Manila where Lakans (devine kings), to what deity did they come from? They were descendants of the Sultan of Borneo, right? 3. What was the name of the person who has the title of Lakan Dula of Tondo during the Spanish conquest manila?

Kuya, how do they choose po who will be the Datu/Rajah of a certain kingdom? Do they fight for the throne Po ba o sila yung pinipili dahil the current king is Yung ama nila?

Maraming maraming salamat Kapatid, Napakarami Kong natutunan sayo at naway Pag palain pa Ang iyong Buhay atga Gawain...iilan nalang Ang mga katulad mu na merong pagpapahalaga at malalim na pagmamahal sa Ating Nakaraan ....god bless and more power bro , Mabuhay ka🫡🫡🫡🫡🫡

Hi Kirby! How are you related to the Lakans? This video was so interesting!

Paano po naiidentify yung royalty ng isang Rajah? Crown? Sword? Tattoo?

May I ask, where can I find the drawing used for the Devaraja at 8:46? Please & Thanks

u make history so interesting!!!!!!! i was smiling the whole time its so fun to listen and learn with you thank u sm! although i dont watch got i still understood it all even before the comparison. now i wanna learn more about kapapampangan's history as i am a part of them but unfortunately i only know one kapampangan word and its tanaydana JK thank u again and i hope u continue on making videos like this! kudos !!

it would be cool to hear about the stuff in the background

This is really informative! Thank you for posting this. Do you know where I can search more info on Lakandula? :)

8:33 i see hara lingayan, lamitan and mantal from Amaya👍👍👍

So comparable to English Historical terminology. Datu = Lord. Raja = King. Lakan = King of Kings, High King or Divine King. One thing to also point out is that in European cultures, Middle east cultures and also Hindu/Buddhist cultures it was common to combine titles to give the leader more importance. It was common to say "Lord King", "Lord God", "King of Kings" in England for example when referring to the King or God and later they even added the title "Empress of India" to the many titles that Queen Victoria already had. And the king of Thailand's official title is "Phrabat Somdet Phra Paraminthra Maha Bhumibol Adulyadej Sayamminthrathirat Borommanatthabophit" which means something like.. Majestic Lord of all, high supreme ruler, greatest son of King Rama IX, king of Thailand and the great Chakri Dynasty. So to me it sounds like Datu-Lakan would just imply Datu of one tribe (or region) and also King of all Datus because the Datu-Lakan does not give up his role as Datu of that region just because he became Lakan of all Datus. Nice video though.. keep up the good work... great to see more people with a passion for history.

kahangahanga! maraming salamat :)

wow! love your content. glad i came across your channel! Q?; todays day and age, how can, or will it even be possible, for a commoner to gain the rank of a Datu (Lowest Rank of all, right?)? if YES. How? I'm from the North (Nueva Ecija), so the title Lakan is applicable, right?

Malay Language spoken in the Phillipines was introduced by Srivijaya Kingdom of Indonesia. There is an Island in the Phillipines called Visayas is derived from the word " Srivijaya ". Malay Language spoken in Southern Phillipines was a mixture of Old Malay, English, Tausug, Tagalogm, and Arabic.

Good day Kirby. Thank you for this informative post. I am currently making a tabletop game regarding the Pre colonial PH and I want to make sure that I get the roles accurate. Based off of what I understood from your video (correct me if I am wrong), a Datu is lower than a Rajah, and a Rajah and Lakan are interchangable. Did I get it right? How does a Sultan fit in all of this? Thanks :)

I love this.

Sir Kirby, please also make a video about the term "Hari" & "Hara". This vid is so knowledgable, kudos!

Maybe i am a LaKum... Lakas Kumain 😁 Great video and i learned a lot... i would certainly share this one... And maybe students can watch this as well..

Thank you Kirby 😃👏🏾

this was very informative and interesting.. but I'm still a bit confused with the raja and lakan I wonder where to read more of how they work back in the days... if you are a son of the lakan.. can you also be a lakan? or they have certain processes besides having a blood of "divinity". I hope there can be another videos of these, I wonder how these royalties lived before...

May mava-violate po bang batas sa bansa kung halimbawang magsusulat ako ng isang novel or gagawa mg film na may concept ng Datu, Rajah and Lakan pero may halong fantasy like magic? Thanks po sa reply!

Underrated channel, but content is good

From what I understand: Datu - leader/king Raja - King among kings (like Arthur and the Knights of the round table) Lakan - demigod (similar to Egyptian royalty)

From what I understand, the difference is Datu is along E Rod Avenue and Lakan is in Araneta Ave.

Can I ask what is the definition of Pueblo, Royal Audiencia and Katipunan Please po i didn't know what's the definition of this🙏

JPR said, "A people without knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots."

nice!

I'm really learning a lot from you. I am a pure capampangan but didn't know that "luid" is mabuhay.

I love your videos😮😊😊😊😊

Do you have an episode regarding pre colonial weaponry,armor and also clothing?

Hello kuya kirby I have a question is rajah and sultan equivalent like the rajahnate and sultanate of sulu ?

Malaysia is a perfect example of how modern/western system combine with the ancient South East Asia ruling system 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Kirby from I also understand and pls correct me if I’m wrong ok 👌🏼 is that the Filipinos who bear surnames that are native like Magsaysay, Makalintal, Makaraig etc.....have at least one ancestor who is of native Royalty or Nobility (Principalia during the Spanish phase) right? If you can further elaborate pls explain to us more on what you know for us the viewers to know more about ourselves pls?

Which held more power the Raja Matanda of Maynila or the Lakandula of Tondo? When the Spaniards arrived the 2 and Raja Soliman had to be there. We know Soliman was the selected heir of the Raja Matanda. So between the Matanda and the Lakandula, you explained that the Lakandula was more paramount because he used the title more related to the divine, particularly the older gods. But the Raja Matanda as you said embraced Islam as a Muslim ruler. Would he allow himself to be subjugated by "pagans"? I remember there was a prior conflict between the two when the Lakandula of Tondo (maybe not the same person as when the Spaniards arrived) tried to sieze control of the lands of Raja Matanda who was then not yet matanda but went by his name Raja Ache. Ache brought the Bruneian fleet against the Lakandula to reclaim the territory and reinforce the dominance over Tondo. In the Visayas, Raja Ache was referred to as the King of Luzon and Miguel Lopez de Legazpi wrote a letter to him directly to forge amity.

What is the proto austronisan word for Emperor

Nice!!!!!!!!!!

Sir, I notice a Harvard banner at your background. Can I ask why is that? Are a student of Harvard or an alumnus of it?

Kirby I just love that name omg

Hello po, will u pls go over Philippine mythology about god and goddesses. Love u vids po very entertaining and i get to learn from it! Salamat po from making this vids.

Is raja and lakan equivalent of each other by rank? And the difference is only based on their religious preference/background? If yes, is it correct to conclude that datus answer to either a raja or a lakan but not both? If not, were there instances that a raja answers to a lakan since lakan has divine blood or something? Pardon me I'm very new to this. 😅

Kaka stalk ko po kay Prince Mateen ng Brunei Kung saan saan nako napadpad at eto ako ngayon Ang dami kong natutunan sa history 😅🤣😂

Parang may nabasa ako dati na ang south east asian ang vikings of the pacific.

Kirby, just curious. Do you have any knowledge of the dragon family? If you have, it might be interesting if you can share.

alam ko po na hindi siya parte sa paksa na 'to pero may mga palabas po ba kayo na mayroong mga datu,lakan,at raja???? Katulad don sa 9:40 (?)

Let’s bring these systems back?

All Supreme Court Judges are Lawyers but not all Lawyers are Supreme Court Judges...

I would like to hear about the wangdoms of Luzon. As we were basically just a loose collection of independent states originally, some of us were also apparently tributaries/vassal kingdoms to the Chinese Empire.

Can you dig into the further history of south east Asia prior to western and Islamic colonization and more to the time of Hinduism and Buddhism in south east Asia.

How about the word Bai and lakambini and rani

Video starts at 2:12 -- you're welcome.

Saan mo po nabili shirts ganda

We also use sri bantog

Kirby what about Ari? I read about it in prehistoric Pangasinan journal in Jstor that Ari = King. I'm curious what is the origin of this.

Can you also cover the Cordillerans and the Lumads, as well as the Muslims? all those who resisted Spanish colonial rule

What about sultan, rajah at datu?

Hi @kirby! Do you have a video where you discuss how you were able to trace your ancestry to Lakan Dula and the other precolonial nobilities?

can you do surnames, most of us here are already familiar with the catalogos it's just we want to dig deeper like how the spanish ortography massacred foreign surnames whether it's the local filipino native surname and foreign like chinese and okinawan(japanese)