Sultanate of Sulu: TITLES AND STYLES

1. ṢULṬAN (from the Turkic-Arabic “Ṣulṭān”) – King, emperor, the monarch; He is the spiritual leader, the ceremonial head of state and the governing sovereign ruler of the Realm;

2. AMPUN – One's formal address when in direct conversation to the Sultan; It means "My Liege" or "My Lord" [As the Sultan owes his or her allegiance/fealty];

3. PADUKA – “His Majesty” or “His Royal Highness;” Also, a rank of administrative authority lower than that of a panglima or maharajah;

4. SRI (in local usage, “Sari”, as in “MAHASARI” – “The Sovereign Ruler”) – A Majapahit title of respect for a highly distinguished person in authority; A later derivative is “Saripada” in Maranao, “Salipada” in Maguindanao, and “Saipada” in Tausug (that is, “Sri” or “Sari” – which means, “royal” and “one who is highly respected” – combined with “Pada,” – which means, “authority” or “rule”); By the way, “Datu Sri” or “Datu Seri” in Malaysia means “Grand Knight” or “Knight Commander;”

5. MARḤŪM or al-Marḥūm – An honorific style for the deceased Sultan; It denotes "the Late," which is part of the whole title of the deceased Sultan;

6. RAJAH MUDA (localized, “Ladjamura”) – Crown prince, first in line to succeed the Sultan;

7. MAHARAJAH ADINDA (localized, “Ladjarinda”) – Second heir apparent, second in line after the Rajah Muda; Usually, from another royal house;

8. RAJAH BAṢAR (localized, “Ladjabassal”) – Usually, the second or middle son of the Sultan;

9. RAJAH BUNGSU (localized, “Ladjabungso”) – The youngest son of the Sultan;

10. RAJAH (localized, “Ladja”) – Ruler or sovereign (esp., in pre-sultanate Sulu);

11. DATU’ – Prince or lord; Chief;

12. DATU’ RAJAH (localized, “Ladjarato”) – Chief datu’ or great datu’;

13. DATU’ PANGIRAN (localized, “Datu’ Pangilan”) – An honored and respected datu’, a datu’ of the Sultan’s inner court, a full-blooded datu’ (that is, from both father and mother);

14. RUMA BICHARA (or Ruma Bechara; also Ruma Bitsara) – Council of advisers or state ministers [of the Sultanate];

15. WAZĪR – Prime minister, chief adviser to the Sultan; Presiding Officer or Speaker of the Ruma Bichara in session; Also, "Puntukan Wazir" for Prime Minister, and "Tuku Puntukan Wazir" for Deputy Prime Minister;"

16. PANGIRAN ADIPATI AGUNG – Foreign minister; Sultan’s ambassador; He is Member of the Ruma Bichara;

17. MUFTI – (A modern usage), the assigned Islamic scholar to issue fatwas or verdicts on religious matters; He is a member of the Ruma Bichara;

18. DATU’ MULUK [BANDAR SHĀH] (localized, “Datu’ Bandarasa”) – Minister of the interior; Member of the Ruma Bichara;

19. DATU’ JULKARNAIN (from the Arabic, “Dzul-Qarnayn” or “The one with Two Horns,” namely, Alexander the Great) – Minister of war; Or commanding general of the Sultan’s royal armed forces; Member of the Ruma Bichara;

20. DATU’ TUMANGGUNG [DĀGANGAN] – Minister of trade and industry; Secretary of commerce; Member of the Ruma Bichara; One other Datu’ Tumanggung is the Court Protocol Officer of the Sultanate, but not necessarily a member of the Ruma Bichara; And another more notable is the Datu Tumanggung Bantilan, the Sultan's Executive Secretary;

21. DATU’ SHAH BANDAR (localized, “Datu Sabandal”) – Manager of ports; Chief of customs; Member of the Ruma Bichara;

22. DATU’ MAMANCHA – Minister of labor, agriculture and food; Member of the Ruma Bichara;

23. DATU’ AMĪR BAHAR (localized, “Datu’ Amilbahar”) – Admiral or chief of the navy; Member of the Ruma Bichara;

24. DATU’ SAWADJA’AN (from the Bruneian, “Shah Wijaan”) – Revenue or tax collector; Member of the Ruma Bichara;

25. DATU’ SAHIBUL MAL – The Sultanate’s finance minister or treasurer; Member of the Ruma Bichara;

26. MAHARAJAH LAYLA – Chief of Intelligence; Reporting directly to the Sultan;

27. DATU’ PANGLIMA – Army field commander; A ruling datu’ [of a given territory]; Provincial/district governor; Chief emissary, representative or viceroy of the Sultan;

28. DATU’ LAKSAMANA or Laksamana – Commodore or navy captain;

29. DATU’ SUSULTANUN – A datu’ born of a Sultan; A datu’ of a Sultan’s lineage;

30. DATU’ SADJA – A commoner who has been conferred the rank of “datu” by the Sultan;

31. DATU’ PAHALAWAN or Juhan Pahalawan – A datu known or famous for his gallantry and valor; In the battlefield, he is either a major or a colonel [in the Sultan’s royal armed forces] commanding a battalion of Bubunu’;

32. DATU’ BARBANGSA – A datu coming from a family or clan of datus (admittedly, a recent coinage); He could either be a datu susultanun or a datu sadja;

33. PANGIYAN – Queen or empress, the Sultan’s wife or consort; She could be a commoner;

34. DAYANG-DAYANG – Princess, daughter of a Sultan;

35. DAYANG-DAYANG PANGIYAN – Literally, queen-princess; A Sultan’s wife whose father was also a Sultan; (Sultan in ama’, sultan isab in nabana);

36. DAYANG-DAYANG PUTLI’ – A princess whose father was a Sultan and mother a daughter of a ruling rajah or datu';

37. DAYANG-DAYANG PIANDAO – First princess [as in First Knight in Arthurian England];

38. DAYANG – Princess, daughter of a Datu' Susultanun;

39. PUTLI’ (from the Malay, “Puteri”) – "Lady," a Sulu female of noble ancestry;

40. SALIP (“Sharīf” in Arabic; “Sharīfah” for female) – A descendant of Prophet Muḥammad ﺹ through al-Ḥasan, son of ‘Alī and Fāṭimah ﻉ;

41. ḤABĪB – A sharīf who has already performed Ḥāj or pilgrimage to Mecca;

42. KASALIPAN – Plural of salíp;

43. SAYYID – see “Tuan” below;

44. TUAN – A title of respect for a Muslim scholar or an honorable man; Also, a local translation of “Sayyid” – a descendant of Prophet Muḥammad ﺹ through al-Ḥusayn, son of ‘Alī and Fāṭimah ﻉ;

45. SITTI – Female equivalent for “Tuan;” But more formal is "Inda' Tuan;"

46. KARATU’AN – Plural of datu’;

47. PANGLIMA – Military commander, or governor of a territory, or representative of the Sultan thereat; The term is exclusively used as the title for the highest military commander (top general) of the Malaysian or Indonesian armed forces;

48. PANGILAN (“Pangiran” in Malaysia and Brunei) – An alternative to the title of “datu” to mean “prince.” Malay and Brunei royalties prefer to use “Pangiran,” also spelt “Pengiran,” rather than “Datu” [but this last one has become the convention in Sulu]; So much so that the title or name “Datu Pangilan” is actually a redundancy, for it literally translates as “Prince Prince;”

49. MAHARAJAH or Maharaja – A ruling noble (in the true sense of governing and administering a territory or people); His nobility or lineage traces back to the Majapahit or Sri Vijaya era; Although not used in Sulu, the feminine of Maharajah is “Maharani;”

50. LIGADDUNG (from the Bruneian “di-Gadong”) – A Sulu title of nobility that is of Bruneian origin; Usually, an opulent and prudent person, with characteristic charisma, political acumen and entrepreneurial skill; Leader too and knowledgeable in the Islamic religion;

51. PARKASA – Literally, “The one vested with power and authority,” or “That who is mighty and strong;”

52. AWANG or Uwang – A style of address for a non-Datu but highly respected community elder; It is still being used in Tawi-Tawi (esp., in Simunul and Sibutu);

53. PATIK – Loyal subject of the Sultan;

54. ĀTA (Iypun or Banyaga’) – Slave; Servant;

55. HALAMBIYARA’ – Illegitimate child, bastard, born out of wedlock;

56. BANGSA – Race, nation;

57. BANGSAWAN – Of noble lineage; A criteria for selecting the honorable members of the Ruma Bichara;

58. RUPAWAN – Charismatic; A criteria for selecting the honorable members of the Ruma Bichara;

59. ALTAWAN – Rich, opulent, wealthy; A criteria for selecting the honorable members of the Ruma Bichara;

60. HALIMAWAN – Brave, powerful, strong; A criteria for selecting the honorable members of the Ruma Bichara;

61. ILMAWAN – Possessing knowledge and erudition; A criteria for selecting the honorable members of the Ruma Bichara;

62. ORANGKAYA (localized, “Angkaya”) – A man of wealth or opulence; Rich;

63. RA’AYAT or Hambara’ayat – The people;

64. BANUWA or KABANUWA-BANUWAHAN (or Usuk-Banuwa) – The elders, patriarchs and leaders of families, clans and communities;

65. UDDUK HULA’ – A bona fide citizen; Original settler;

66. BURANUN – As a race or tribe, one of the first or pioneering settlers of Sulu (particularly, mainland Jolo – Parang, Maimbung and Luuk); Originally, either coming from Borneo [thus, the name “Buranun”] or coming from the Agusan provinces [where they have language similarities with the Butuanons]; A recent hypothesis has it that Buranun (as a bloodline) is superior to any and all other Sulu bloodlines;

67. TA’U SŪG or TAUSUG – The main tribe in Sulu today, the latter also referring to their language; The tribe and the language evolved from the Buranuns;

68. BANGSA SAMA or Orang Badjao (which includes, as a generic tribe, the Yakans and Bangingis of Basilan and the Zamboanga peninsula, the Sangils of Davao and Sarangani, and the Jama Mapuns of Cagayan de Sulu) – A tribe now scattered in the Sulu archipelago, the Tawi-Tawi group of islands and Sabah that evolved through the ages from the Sanggaliyah, the pioneering settlers of the Sulu archipelago who preceded or were contemporary with the Samals and or the Buranuns, but who eventually also intermarried with the Buranuns, themselves;

69. SAMAL (or Luwa’an, Pala’u) – As a people, the Sinama-speaking sea gypsies of Sulu who came from the Nusantara region (for example, Indonesia) prior to, or almost contemporary with, the Buranuns; As a pun, however, the term is a derogation of the said tribe by the Tausugs to mean “filthy,” “unclean” and “debased;”

70. LANNANG (also, Sina’) – The Chinese people who came from China (e.g., Fujian province) and settled in Sulu (particularly, Maimbung, Jolo proper and Siasi) in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries;

71. BISAYA’ – Commonly used to refer to a Christian (and not necessarily one who came from the Visayas);

72. MUSLIM – Follower of Islām (particularly, in the Five Pillars of Islām); In the Sulu Sultanate, the predominant persuasion or sect is Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamā‘ah; There are also [as religious minorities] the Sufis (or Ahli Suluk), the Shi’ites (Shī‘ah Ithnā ‘Ashariyyah) and Aḥmadis;

73. MU’MIN – Believer (particularly, in the so-called Six Articles of the Islamic Faith);

74. SATRU’ – Sworn enemy, the infidel, the colonialist;

75. KUNTARA or ATU – Enemy, Opponent, antagonist;

76. PANG’HU’ or NAKURA’ (sometimes, Anak-Kura’) – Leader, the one to be followed;

77. ‘ĀLIM (plural, ‘Ālim-‘Ulamā’ or Ka’ulamā’an) – A scholar of the Islamic religion;

78. AWLIYĀ’ – Saint, saints;

79. PAKIL (plural, Kapakilan) – Administrator of Islamic and traditional rites (i.e., the local imām, haṭib or bilāl);

80. IMĀM (in local usage) – The leader in congregational prayers, the administrator of Islamic activities and traditional rites of passage (e.g., circumcision, wedding, ‘aqīqah or ‘baptism,’ funeral, group supplications, mawlud celebrations, etc.); Appointed by the Sultan;

81. HAṬIB (from the Arabic, Khaṭīb) – One who delivers from the pulpit the Friday sermon, next in rank to the imam in a mosque or during Islamic festivities; Appointed by the Sultan;

82. BILĀL – One who calls the believers to prayer in the mosque; An assistant to the imām in administering religious and traditional rites; Appointed by the Sultan or the imam;

83. PANDAY – Local or traditional midwife; She performs the funeral bath for the dead female;

84. SHAYKH – An honorific for a Muslim scholar, leader or elder; Also referring to the head or guide of a group of pilgrims to Mecca;

85. ḤĀJ – The pilgrimage to Mecca; An honorific and religious title (as in “al-Ḥāj”) for one who has performed the pilgrimage (usually, “Hadji” for male and “Hadja” for female);

86. PANGANTIN – Bride;

87. PANDALA – Groom;

88. UṢBA (from the Arabic, Uṣbah) – The family of the groom; One’s paternal relatives or lineage;

89. WARIS (from the Arabic, Warīth) – The family of the bride; One’s maternal relatives or lineage;

90. TA’U BABA’ – Commoner;

91. DĀYU – Stranger, foreigner;

92. GAGANDILAN – Living hero, frontline fighter, experienced in war;

93. BUBUNU’ – Warrior, soldier [of the Sultanate];

94. PARRANG SABIL – The martyr [in the cause of Islām, for the sake of truth and justice, and for the glory and protection of the “Ṣulṭāniyyah Islāmiyyah”]; As verb, Magparrang Sabil is "to fight for the cause of Islam (fiy Sabilillah), as a legitimate form of protest against foreign domination, Spanish or American."

95. PANDAY PANDIKAL – Wise, skilled, smart, talented, sagacious;

96. ḤĀLUL-‘AQQAL – The intellectuals, those in the know, the literati;

97. BĀYAN BUDDIMAN – Sages, poets and artists; Defenders and promoters of customs and traditions; Narrators of history, folktales and fables;

98. ḤUKUM or MANG’ḤUḤUKUM – Judge, adjudicator, lawyer;

99. KAPUT BALIS – A member of the Sultan's royal armed forces;

100. MAYRAN MADJILIS – People’s assembly; Or the general public;