Royalty of the Malay, Indonesian and Philippine Archipeligos

[Toledo]

I read this in the New York Times last week and thought it could be interesting for all Royal Watchers and TRF Historians. I did a search and found no thread about it so the closest one I thought was about non-reigning royal houses, I also found extremely disturbing the way the kingdom disaperared out of a global catastrophe. Like with today's global warming and the polar regions moving out of place, these old news seem like today's headlines on the tragic events with hurracaine Katrina and the terrible Tsunami that killed thousands of persons.

"Lost Kingdom" Discovered on Volcanic Island in Indonesia
John Roach, February 27, 2006
for National Geographic News


...Scientists announced today the discovery of a small "kingdom" on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa thought to have been obliterated by the largest volcanic eruption in recorded history...The Tambora discovery gives us a window of the culture at that time that we couldn't get any other way," Sigurdsson said...

[Toledo]

some more articles on this significant discovery:

Lost Kingdom Found?
By Michael Balter
ScienceNOW Daily News
28 February 2006
...No other sites in the vicinity have yielded significant artifacts, says Sigurdsson, making it likely that this house was part of the so-called Kingdom of Tambora, which was once known throughout the East Indies for its honey and wood products....


Lost Kingdom Found on Volcanic Island, National Geographic News
...Tambora's eruption in 1815 was the largest volcanic eruption in human history and resulted in a period of global cooling the following year that became known as the year without a summer.
The eruption wiped out the tiny "kingdom" of Tambora that had lived in the volcano's shadow...

Press release: Lost Kingdom of Tambora: Research by URI's Haraldur Sigurdsson


'Lost kingdom' springs from the ashes
By John Noble Wilford The New York Times

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 2006

...One of history's most violent volcanic eruptions blasted the island of Sumbawa in the East Indies in 1815. The sulfurous gases and fiery ashes from Mount Tambora cast a pall over the entire world, causing the global cooling of 1816...

[purple_platinum]

Wedding belle ... Lindy Rama holds her baby Stella as she enters St Joan of Arc church in Melbourne.
(Picture: Jessica O'Donnell, from news.com.au)

Swim king wins his princess bride
April 24, 2006

SWIM champ Michael Klim has celebrated the biggest victory of his life, marrying his Balinese princess, Lindy Rama.
The couple tied the knot at 4pm yesterday at the St Joan of Arc church in Brighton, Melbourne.
They were joined by several of Klim's high-profile sports mates, along with friends and family.
In an emotional entrance, a stunning Ms Rama walked down the aisle with the couple's three-month-old daughter, Stella, in her arms.
(...)
At home in Bali, Rama is referred to as Anak Agung, which translates as "child of the king". Her uncle is the King of Denpasar.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117....html?from=rss


Married: Lindy Rama and Michael Klim

Swim king wins his princess bride
24apr06

SWIM champ Michael Klim has celebrated the biggest victory of his life, marrying his Balinese princess, Lindy Rama.
The couple tied the knot at 4pm yesterday at the St Joan of Arc church in Brighton
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/com...E14641,00.html

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/6...43928000tm.jpg
http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/8...43886000oy.jpg

[galuhcandrakirana]

http://english.pravda.ru/news/world/...nesian-quake-0
Sultan's former pleasure garden destroyed by Indonesian quake

Indonesia's powerful weekend earthquake toppled massive walls at the sultanate of Yogyakarta's former pleasure garden, killing two people, officials said. The falling walls, enclosing an underground mosque and passageways, crushed several nearby houses, killing a mother and her child, they said. The remarkable Tamansari, or Water Castle, pleasure garden was built from 1758 to 1812 by the first sultan of Yogyakarta. It was abandoned after being damaged by an earlier earthquake in 1867, but restoration began in 2000 and the site has become a tourist attraction.
The garden has been closed to visitors since Saturday's earthquake, said Kirbunanto, a local tour guide. "Local residents are still afraid to sleep in their homes after the houses were crushed by the collapsing ancient walls," he said Tuesday. The magnitude-6.3 earthquake, centered in the ocean south of the city, killed more than 5,800 people and made 200,000 homeless.
The pleasure garden once had an artificial lake over underground passageways and chambers which included living rooms, bedrooms, a hall to perform classical sacred dance and a circular mosque. The lake was used for boating and by the sultan to swim with his concubines. Since the 1867 earthquake, the sultan's employees and their families have been allowed to live in the available land. The current sultan, Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, is Indonesia's only remaining ruling sultan and is also governor of Yogyakarta.
Today, small villages surrounding the pleasure garden are occupied by artists notably painters, batik-makers and silver craftsmen who are the descendants of royal artists. Restoration of the central courtyard, including bathing pools, was finished in 2004 with the help of the Portuguese government. Many other buildings in the Yogyakarta area also were damaged by Saturday's earthquake, including the world-renowned Prambanan Hindu temple complex outside the city, reports the AP.

[galuhcandrakirana]

I just found this interesting website..A site with many pictures of Indonesian kingdoms with pictures of Kings/Queens, palaces, crowns etc. http://www.asiafinest.com/forum/lofi...hp/t16300.html

[Vanesa]

Thank you, Galuhcandrakirana! This site it's not only plenty of good photos, but also has a very good info about Royalty in Indonesia, its complexe cultural background and the different religions in every Indonesia's region. I'm always curious to know not-European Royalty (even if my roots are European too), for people must learn things that are unknown to them, and not keep reading and reading about issues that they know by memory.

Your link was a great help for me. I grew as a person reading it.

Vanesa.:)

[galuhcandrakirana]

Your welcome Vanessa glad you like it, I also very interest in information about royals other than European royals because its have more "colourfull" in their traditions.

[onecoolday]

I was wondering what ever happened to the Datus, Rajas & Sultans in the Philippines after the Spanish came? Are their descendants still in the country?

[RhapsodyBrat]

reading the thread's title surprised me, since history-wise the only monarch that has been largely recognized in the Philippines back then was the Spanish monarchy, our country being a former Spanish colony.

but hundreds of years before the Spanish came, sultans and datus have reigned in the country, some of them gaining much of their power in the southern island of Mindanao, which has the largest Islamic influence. they were relegated when the Spaniards came into power and they remained since in Mindanao.

nowadays, there are still some existing royal sultanates in the south, such as in Sulu, which is ruled by the Sultan of Sulu and the Royal Sultans of Lanao. they are not considered real royalty here in the Philippines, but nevertheless they use their titles and styles (such as HRH).

although you can't really rely on Wikipedia you can find some info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Sultans_of_Sulu

info about the "datus," sometimes higher in rank or equivalent to a sultan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datu

the Moro National Liberation Front's webpage might also help: http://mnlf.net/index.htm

[MoonlightRhapsody]

Originally Posted by onecoolday

I was wondering what ever happened to the Datus, Rajas & Sultans in the Philippines after the Spanish came? Are their descendants still in the country?

Good question. I don't remember learning about them when I studied in the Philippines. Most of our history lessons started after the Spanish came and went from there.

Like RhapsodyBrat said, however, the chiefdoms and sultanates are more reserved towards the southern part of the country. Probably due to their proximity to Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. The only tribal group that I can think of that's from the nothern part are the Aeta. I'm not exactly sure if they had an organized hierarchy like the sultanates, but the Aetas are still in the Philippines.

[RhapsodyBrat]

Originally Posted by MoonlightRhapsody

The only tribal group that I can think of that's from the nothern part are the Aeta. I'm not exactly sure if they had an organized hierarchy like the sultanates, but the Aetas are still in the Philippines.

from what I've looked up, the Aetas used to have a king who also acted as the head of the tribe, the judge and protector. the royal lineage and government might have been wiped out as time passed on and their tribe has changed.

[onecoolday]

Originally Posted by MoonlightRhapsody

Good question. I don't remember learning about them when I studied in the Philippines. Most of our history lessons started after the Spanish came and went from there.

Like RhapsodyBrat said, however, the chiefdoms and sultanates are more reserved towards the southern part of the country. Probably due to their proximity to Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. The only tribal group that I can think of that's from the nothern part are the Aeta. I'm not exactly sure if they had an organized hierarchy like the sultanates, but the Aetas are still in the Philippines.

Thanks for the reply.
What about Lapu-Lapu who was the chieftain (king) of Mactan in Cebu & King Humabon of Bohol? What happend to their respective kingdoms?
It would have been nice if there are still descendants of these 2 great kings.

[RhapsodyBrat]

Originally Posted by onecoolday

Thanks for the reply.
What about Lapu-Lapu who was the chieftain (king) of Mactan in Cebu & King Humabon of Bohol? What happend to their respective kingdoms?
It would have been nice if there are still descendants of these 2 great kings.

Raja (other sources say 'Datu') Humabon was the husband of Queen Juana and they were, along with 400 of their people, the first converts to Christianity when Magellan came to the Philippines so most probably, their descendants lost some or maybe all of their royal status when they became Christians and became subjugated to foreign rule. King Humabon is also not from Bohol, he is from Cebu.

Raja Humabon reportedly took the name Carlos as his Christian name when he converted, but there are not that many sources to verify this.

as it happened, Humabon and Lapu-lapu were at war so when King Humabon converted into Christianity, Magellan agreed to fight Lapu-lapu for Humabon out of gratitude for the latter's hospitality. however, and as we all know, Magellan was killed in that fight.

i'm still looking up more info on Lapu-lapu and his descendants. hopefully when i get to the National Historical Institute this week i can get some info.

[Byaneng Celine]

Originally Posted by onecoolday

I was wondering what ever happened to the Datus, Rajas & Sultans in the Philippines after the Spanish came? Are their descendants still in the country?

glad that i dropped by here...
and im amazed to see that there are others who still wonder what happen to the Philippine royalty....
Heres a brief history...
*300 years the islands were under spanish government (its called Philippines because it was under king Philip of Spain by the time it was colonized)
*Luzon and Visayas was conquered so the Datus, Rajas and Sultans of that area were already gone though their descendants may still exist
*Mindanao island was never conquered royalties still live on until world war 2
and as i was told by some mindanaoans Phillippines was then called Maharlika
...............
there are about 8 major tribes in mindanao all of them have their sultans and datus that still exist....
my professor in my university is a princess in sulu.... my co-worker now is a princess in tawi-tawi....
my great grandfather was the last datu of Bagobo-Tagabawa tribe in mindanao... my father is trying to bring back the tradition and the small kingdom...

................
i hope i did answer you question.....

[RhapsodyBrat]

Originally Posted by Byaneng Celine

*300 years the islands were under spanish government (its called Philippines because it was under king Philip of Spain by the time it was colonized)

no, King Philip was not yet king when we were named after him by Ruy Lopez de Villalobos. i believe he was still crown prince at that time. if memory serves me right, the king at that time was Carlos III.

Originally Posted by Byaneng Celine

*Mindanao island was never conquered royalties still live on until world war 2 and as i was told by some mindanaoans Phillippines was then called Maharlika

is this true? or was the name Maharlika just limited to the areas of Mindanao?

Originally Posted by Byaneng Celine

my professor in my university is a princess in sulu.... my co-worker now is a princess in tawi-tawi...my great grandfather was the last datu of Bagobo-Tagabawa tribe in mindanao... my father is trying to bring back the tradition and the small kingdom...

so we have a legit royalty here! welcome to TRF! i am fascinated by the Bagobos (i love their weaving designs) and i hope you can further introduce us to your clan/tribe. and i think it's wonderful that you are trying to bring back the traditions and the kingdom. it's about time, before it's all lost and forgotten. you've got my support.

[Byaneng Celine]

Originally Posted by RhapsodyBrat

no, King Philip was not yet king when we were named after him by Ruy Lopez de Villalobos. i believe he was still crown prince at that time. if memory serves me right, the king at that time was Carlos III.

well im not sure if he was king by then all i know is that the country was named after him...

Originally Posted by RhapsodyBrat

is this true? or was the name Maharlika just limited to the areas of Mindanao?

im not sure if all of Philippine Islands.... but the Islands were named maharlika back then....

Originally Posted by RhapsodyBrat

so we have a legit royalty here! welcome to TRF! i am fascinated by the Bagobos (i love their weaving designs) and i hope you can further introduce us to your clan/tribe. and i think it's wonderful that you are trying to bring back the traditions and the kingdom. it's about time, before it's all lost and forgotten. you've got my support.

Really thats nice to know that you like the weaving designs... yes i would love to further introduce you to our tribe as well as the United Nations of Mindanao....
Well yah exactly after the destruction that WW2 have caused the culture and traditon of the tribes in mindanao... Some have actually married slaves and commoners....

[RhapsodyBrat]

Originally Posted by Byaneng Celine

well im not sure if he was king by then all i know is that the country was named after him...

yes, Philip II wasn't king yet then. The king at that time Charles I (Holy Roman Emperor Charles V) who ruled from 1516 to 1556. His son Philip II succeeded him that same year and ruled until 1598. i actually made a mistake in my earlier post (i said there Carlos III) -- hee hee sorry!

Originally Posted by Byaneng Celine

im not sure if all of Philippine Islands.... but the Islands were named maharlika back then...

i looked it up and is it turns out, the country was once known as "Maharlika." that was before the Spaniards came. i don't know which tribe gave that name, but i'll try to find out.

Originally Posted by Byaneng Celine

Really thats nice to know that you like the weaving designs... yes i would love to further introduce you to our tribe as well as the United Nations of Mindanao....

Originally Posted by Byaneng Celine

Well yah exactly after the destruction that WW2 have caused the culture and traditon of the tribes in mindanao... Some have actually married slaves and commoners....

what caused the inter-class marriage? is it one of the early manifestations that the culture in on the decline? and why only after WW2?

thanks!

[Byaneng Celine]

Originally Posted by RhapsodyBrat

yes, Philip II wasn't king yet then. The king at that time Charles I (Holy Roman Emperor Charles V) who ruled from 1516 to 1556. His son Philip II succeeded him that same year and ruled until 1598. i actually made a mistake in my earlier post (i said there Carlos III) -- hee hee sorry!

well yah... it was 1521 right when spanish came...(my lucky guess)...
its ok .... i wasnt even right saying philip was already king... ahaha....

Originally Posted by RhapsodyBrat

i looked it up and is it turns out, the country was once known as "Maharlika." that was before the Spaniards came. i don't know which tribe gave that name, but i'll try to find out.

well sanskrit is one of the oldest language... it may not be a specific tribe but the whole of southeast asia named it maharlika(my quess)
since way back there is just one language in most of asia... while other people move into different island they tend to change the grammar and some of the words...
even all the dialect of the Philippines was just from one language and through time it change in different places...
lexico-statistics can explain it...
i was then told it was named maharlika because its where royalties of different asian countries go to this islands and take their vacations until they began to love the place and live on different islands .... (now you dont have to wonder why every island have a certain king who speaks different langauge, wear different clothes and follow different tradition....) then spanish came and the rest is history

Originally Posted by RhapsodyBrat

what caused the inter-class marriage? is it one of the early manifestations that the culture in on the decline? and why only after WW2?

thanks!

my grandmother tell me stories of the war and before it...
before the war there were still datus, warriors, bai's, byanengs, slaves and commoners.... and strictly they follow royal+royal, slave+slave marriages..
during the war there was chaos... people of different class were all in the middle of the Japanese and American war.... all were running away to safety...
after the war there was civilization and human rights which made everyone equal.... so inter-class marriage was already ok...
inter-class marriage is not the main cause of the the cultures decline but civilization and industrialization plus Philippine governance of Luzon...

i hope i was able to answer all you questions...

[MoonlightRhapsody]

It's amazing how vastly different history teaching is in the different main islands. I lived in Manila so I rarely heard anything before the Spanish came and the history of Mindanao. My dad was born in Davao del Sur, but it was way, way post-WWII and he went to school in Manila. It's very interesting to learn all these new things about my country. Thanks so much for the information! =D

[Byaneng Celine]

Originally Posted by MoonlightRhapsody

It's amazing how vastly different history teaching is in the different main islands. I lived in Manila so I rarely heard anything before the Spanish came and the history of Mindanao. My dad was born in Davao del Sur, but it was way, way post-WWII and he went to school in Manila. It's very interesting to learn all these new things about my country. Thanks so much for the information! =D

yah...its really different... yah, its seldom discussed in the north part of the Phil. and some people in Manila never knows that some of there classmates of co-workers are royalties..... the son of the datu in lanao graduated at UP diliman....

really your dad was born in Mindanao.... Where specifically in davao del sur?
is his parents also from mindanao or just migrants?