Datu
Videos
Datu is a title which denotes the rulers of numerous indigenous peoples throughout the Philippine archipelago. The title is still used today, though not as much as early Philippine history. It is a co
A Bagobo matanum (chieftain) who leads communities along with elders (magani) and female shamans (mabalian)
Costume of a family belonging to the principalía during the 19th century. Picture taken from the exhibit in Villa Escudero Museum in San Pablo Laguna, Philippines.
A Manobo bae, a female tribal leader equivalent to a datu, in the 2015 Kaamulan Festival
A Lumad datu performing in the 2018 Kaamulan Festival of Bukidnon
Lakan
Videos
In early Philippine history, the rank of lakan denoted a "paramount ruler" of one of the large coastal barangays on the central and southern regions of the island of Luzon.
Datu
…datu. The titles used by such paramount datu varied, but some of the most prominent examples were: sultan in the most Islamized areas of Mindanao; lakan among the Tagalog people; thimuay among the Subanen people; rajah in polities which traded extensively with Indonesia and Malaysia; or simply datu in…
"Naturales" (natives) depicted in the Boxer Codex, specifically marked and identified as Tagalogs.