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Kedatuan (Old Malay,Philippine, andSundanese spelling:kadatuan;Javaneseromanization:kedaton) were historical semi-independentcity-states orprincipalities throughout ancientMaritime Southeast Asia in the present-dayPhilippines,Indonesia, andMalaysia. In a modernIndonesian/Malay sense, they could be described askingdoms orpolities.[1] The earliest written record mentioning the termkadatuan was the 7th-centurySrivijayanTelaga Batu andKota Kapur inscription fromSumatra,Indonesia.[2]
Kedatuan andkadatuan are derived from the root worddatu, which is derived fromProto-Malayo-Polynesiandatu, with the possiblereconstructed meaning of "lineage priest".Cognates in modernAustronesian languages includedatu ordato inPhilippine languages;datu inAcehnese,Minangkabau,Balinese,Makassarese,Mongondow, etc.;datuk inMalay;rato inMadurese;ratu inJavanese andSundanese;ratu orlatu inMaluku and theLesser Sunda Islands;ratu inFijian;rātū inWayan (West Fijian); andlātū inSamoan. All of these have meanings related to leaders, heads of clans or ancestors, or men/women who are wealthy, respected, or skilled.[3]
In thePhilippines,kadatuan either means "the domain/jurisdiction of thedatu" or was anabstract noun about the rank of thedatu, formed by adding the circumfixka- -an todatu.Datu (also spelleddato) referred to hereditary rulers of independent communities (calledbarangay,dulohan,pulok,banwa, etc. in various ethnic groups), as well as to paramount rulers who ruled over otherdatu with varying degrees of influence and prestige. They were present throughout the islands, from small villages to large loosely federatedthalassocracies. Paramountdatu, who ruled largercity-states connected tomaritime trading routes, often took on other titles likelakan orloanwords likerajah orsultan, depending on ethnic group. They were first described by Spanish colonizers in theBoxer Codex (c.1590). During theSpanish colonial period in the Philippines, thedatu became part of the nativearistocracy, theprincipalia. They were part of the colonial government, often serving asgobernadorcillos andcabezas de barangay (elected town and villagemayors).[4][5][6][7] Among theMuslim Filipinos, thedatu was part of a more centralized political system (sultanates) that paid obeisance to a royal family of the sultans.[8][9][10]
The termkadatuan inOld Malay means "the realm of thedatu" or "the residence of thedatu". Constructed from the old Malay stem worddatu withcircumfixke- -an to denote place. It is derived fromdatu ordatuk, an ancientAustronesian title, and position for regional leader or elder that is used throughoutMaritime Southeast Asia. It was mentioned in several inscriptions such as the 7th-centurySrivijayan Old MalayTelaga Batu inscription and the 14th-centuryOld SundaneseAstana Gede inscription.[2] 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 thedatu resides. TheKota Kapur inscription mentions "manraksa yan kadatuan çrivijaya" (to protect the Kadatuan of Srivijaya), thus Srivijaya is described as akadatuan. From a Srivijayan perspective, the realm of the Kadatuan Srivijaya consisted of severalwanua (settlements), each led by adatu (datuk), which means a community leader or elder. All of this realm was under the control of the centralkadatuan, also led by adatu. The highestdatu in Srivijaya wasDapunta Hyang.[2]
Kedatuan is known and widely spread in theislands of Southeast Asia, including the east coast ofSumatra, theMinangkabau lands, theMalay Peninsula, the Borneo coast and the Philippine archipelago.[11] In Javanese, the termratu is used instead ofdatu, thus inJavakaraton,keraton, orkraton is used instead ofkedaton to describe the residence of the regional leader. The term is also known in Java askedaton, the meaning however, has shifted to an architectural term to refer to the inner compound of the living quarter inside thekeraton (palace) complex. For example, there is thekedaton complex within the central part of KeratonSurakarta Palace in Central Java.[12]
Smallerkedatuan often became subordinated to more powerful neighboringkedatuan, which in turn were subordinate to a central king (maharaja). The more powerfulkedatuan sometimes grew to become powerfulkingdoms and occasionally tried to liberate themselves from theirsuzerain and sometimes enjoyed times of independence, and in turn, might have subjugated neighboringkedatuan.[citation needed]Kedatuan, large and small, often shiftedallegiance or paidtribute to more than one powerful neighbor.[citation needed]
Somekedatuan, such asSrivijaya, rose to becomeempires. 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 rulingkadatuan ruled by the Srivijayanmaharaja.[2]