The Tagalog maginoo , the Kapampangan ginu , and the Visayan tumao were the nobility social class among various cultures of the pre-colonial Philippines . Among the Visayans, the tumao were further distinguished from the immediate royal families, the kadatuan .
87-400: The Pilipino had a three-class social structure consisting of the maginoo (royalty), the maharlika ( lit. freemen; warrior nobility), and the alipin ( serfs and slaves). Only those who could claim royal descent were included in the maginoo class. Their prominence depended on the fame of their ancestors ( bansag ) or their wealth and bravery in battle ( lingas ). Generally, the closer
174-452: A maginoo lineage was to the royal founder ( puno ) of a lineage ( lalad ), the higher their status. Members of the maginoo class were referred to as Ginoo . Proper names of the maginoo nobles were preceded by Gat (short for " pamagat " or "pamegat", originally meaning "lord" or "master", though it means " title " in modern Tagalog ) for men and Dayang (lady) for women, denoting Lord and Lady respectively. The title Panginoon
261-685: A state coach in Europe or a horse used in Northern Ghana. The chiefs of the Ga ( mantsemei ) in the Greater Accra Region ( Ghana ) use also figurative palanquins which are built after a chief's family symbol or totem. But these day the figurative palanquins are very seldom used. They are related with the figurative coffins which have become very popular among the Ga in the last 50 years. Since these figurative coffins were shown 1989 in
348-419: A bed or couch, sometimes enclosed by curtains , for the passenger or passengers to lie on. These are carried by at least two porters in equal numbers in front and behind, using wooden rails that pass through brackets on the sides of the couch. The largest and heaviest types would be carried by draught animals. Another form, commonly called a sedan chair , consists of a chair or windowed cabin suitable for
435-590: A concept of serenity and peace". The modern use of maharlika persists in original Philippine music (OPM), notably in the lyrics of " Ako ay Pilipino ", a song commissioned by Ferdinand Marcos' First Lady, Imelda Marcos . The word maharlika is used by the semi-professional basketball league Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League , and the football club Maharlika Manila F.C. of the Philippines Football League . Palanquin The litter
522-465: A cot or frame suspended by the four corners from a bamboo pole and borne by two bearers, is called a doli . Larger palanquins are rectangular wooden boxes eight feet long, four feet wide, and four feet high, with openings on either side screened by curtains or shutters. Interiors are furnished with bedding and pillows. Ornamentation reflects the social status of the traveller. The most ornate palanquins have lacquer paintwork and cast bronze finials at
609-600: A council ( lipon , lupon , or pulong ) and answered to a sovereign ruler, referred to as the lakan (or the Sanskrit title raja , "king"). After the Spanish conquest, these datu were given the Spanish title of Don and were treated as local chiefs. In Visayas , the Visayans utilized a three-class social structure consisting of the oripun (commoners, serfs , and slaves), the timawa (warrior nobility), and at
696-435: A datu whose four grandparents are all of pure royal descent are known as kalibutan ("all around"). The datu served as leaders and judges. Their proclamations ( mantala ) were delivered to the general populace by an oripun serving as the town herald (the paratawag ). They received tributes, taxes, and gifts from their subjects, among them were the himuka (gifts from timawa for permission to marry), bawbaw (gifts from
783-577: A fare system was established for Scottish sedans, and the regulations covering chairmen in Bath are reminiscent of the modern Taxi Commission's rules. A trip within a city cost six pence and a day's rental was four shillings. A sedan was even used as an ambulance in Scotland's Royal Infirmary. Chairmen moved at a good clip. In Bath they had the right-of-way: pedestrians hearing "By your leave" behind them knew to flatten themselves against walls or railings as
870-422: A fixed elaborately carved roof and doors. While the cáng has become obsolete, the kiệu is retained in certain traditional rituals a part of a temple devotional procession. In Thailand, the royalty were also carried in wooden litters called wo ("พระวอ" Phra Wo, literally, "Royal Sedan") for large ceremonies. Wos were elaborately decorated litters that were delicately carved and colored by gold leaf. Stained glass
957-555: A large military procession, with a yellow (the Javanese colour for royalty) square canopy. The ceremonial parasol ( payung ) was held above the palanquin, which was carried by a bearer behind and flanked by the most loyal bodyguards, usually about 12 men, with pikes , sabres , lances , muskets , keris and a variety of disguised blades. In contrast, the canopy of the Sumatran palanquin was oval-shaped and draped in white cloth; this
SECTION 10
#17327729706881044-460: A litter, porters either place the carrying poles directly upon their shoulders or use a yoke to transfer the load from the carrying poles to the shoulders. A simple litter consists of a sling attached along its length to poles or stretched inside a frame. The poles or frame are carried by porters in front and behind. Such simple litters are common on battlefields and emergency situations, where terrain prohibits wheeled vehicles from carrying away
1131-453: A part of the year in Edo (Tokyo) with their families, resulting in yearly migrations of the rich and powerful ( Sankin-kōtai ) to and from the capital along the central backbone road of Japan. Somewhat similar in appearance to kago are the portable shrines that are used to carry the "god-body" ( goshintai ), the central totemic core normally found in the most sacred area of Shinto Shrines , on
1218-567: A pole projecting fore and aft. The word is derived from the Sanskrit palyanka , meaning bed or couch. The Malay and Javanese form is palangki , in Hindi and Bengali, palki , in Telugu pallaki . The Portuguese apparently added a nasal termination to these to make palanquim . English adopted it from Portuguese as "palanquin". Palanquins vary in size and grandeur. The smallest and simplest,
1305-449: A practice known as takay . The datu , however, were far from being a leisured aristocracy. They were often skilled craftsmen, hunters, blacksmiths, fishermen, and warriors in their own right, and their household produced the best commodities for trade. Visayan datu were loosely bound to each other in a federation (a chiefdom ). Members of a chiefdom had a leading datu who had authority over other datu , usually simply referred to as
1392-446: A simple wooden chair with an attached tumpline . The occupant sat in the chair, which was then affixed to the back of a single porter, with the tumpline supported by his head. The occupant thus faced backwards during travel. This style of palanquin was probably due to the steep terrain and rough or narrow roads unsuitable to European-style sedan chairs. Travellers by silla usually employed a number of porters, who would alternate carrying
1479-494: A single occupant, also carried by at least two porters, one in front and one behind, using wooden rails that pass through brackets on the sides of the chair. These porters were known in London as "chairmen". These have been very rare since the 19th century, but such enclosed portable litters have been used as an elite form of transport for centuries, especially in cultures where women are kept secluded. Sedan chairs, in use until
1566-412: A social class. The purity of the lineage of the kadatoan was extremely important in claiming the right to rule, thus the kadatoan usually only married members of other royal families. The sons and daughters of the datu by his first wife were zealously guarded from the rest of the community. The princesses were known as binokot or binukot (literally "the veiled ones" or "the wrapped ones"), due to
1653-522: A status symbol. During the 17–18th centuries, palanquins (see above) were very popular among European traders in Bengal , so much so that in 1758 an order was issued prohibiting their purchase by certain lower-ranking employees. A similar but simpler palanquin was used by the elite in parts of 18th- and 19th-century Latin America . Often simply called a silla (Spanish for seat or chair), it consisted of
1740-424: A tour to and from a shrine during some religious festivals . Traditional Vietnam employed two distinct types of litters, the cáng and the kiệu . The cáng is a basic bamboo pole with the rider reclining in a hammock . More elaborate cáng had an adjustable woven bamboo shade to shelter the occupant. Dignitaries would have an entourage to carry parasols. The kiệu resemble more of the sedan chair, enclosed with
1827-471: A trendy name for streets, edifices, banquet halls, villages and cultural organizations. Marcos himself utilized the word to christen a highway, a broadcasting corporation, and the reception area of the Malacañan Palace . Marcos' propagandistic utilization of the word started during World War II . Before being proven false in 1985, Marcos claimed that he had commanded a group of guerrillas known as
SECTION 20
#17327729706881914-749: A warrior class (which were minor nobility) of the Tagalog people , directly equivalent to Visayan timawa . Like timawa , the term also has connotations of "freeman" or "freed slave" in both Filipino and Malay languages. In some Indo-Malayan languages, as well as the languages of the Muslim areas of the Philippines , the cognates mardika , merdeka , merdeheka , and maradika mean "freedom" or "freemen" (as opposed to servitude). The Malay term mandulika , also meant "governor". The Merdicas (also spelled Mardicas or Mardikas), whose name comes from
2001-481: Is a class of wheelless vehicles , a type of human-powered transport , for the transport of people. Smaller litters may take the form of open chairs or beds carried by two or more carriers, some being enclosed for protection from the elements. Larger litters, for example those of the Chinese emperors , may resemble small rooms upon a platform borne upon the shoulders of a dozen or more people. To most efficiently carry
2088-643: Is also used to decorate the litters. Presently, Royal Wos and carriages are only used for royal ceremonies in Thailand. They are exhibited in the Bangkok National Museum. In traditional Javanese society, the generic palanquin or joli was a wicker chair with a canopy, attached to two poles, and borne on men's shoulders, and was available for hire to any paying customer. As a status marker, gilded throne-like palanquins, or jempana , were originally reserved solely for royalty, and later co-opted by
2175-629: Is illustrated by licensing records which show twenty-seven sedan chairs in 1800, eighteen in 1817, and ten in 1828. During that same period the number of registered hackney carriages in Glasgow rose to one hundred and fifty. The wealthy are recorded to have used sedan chairs in the cities of colonial America and the early period of the United States. In 1787, Benjamin Franklin , at the time 81 years old, gouty , and in generally declining health,
2262-521: Is noted to have travelled to meetings of the United States Constitutional Convention in a sedan chair carried by four prisoners. In various colonies, litters of various types were maintained under native traditions, but often adopted by the colonials as a new ruling and/or socio-economic elite, either for practical reasons (often comfortable modern transport was unavailable, e.g. for lack of decent roads) and/or as
2349-750: The Ramayana ( c. 250 BC ). Indian women of rank always travelled by palanquin. The conveyance proved popular with European residents in India, and was used extensively by them. Pietro Della Valle , a 17th-century Italian traveller, wrote: Going in Palanchino in the Territories of the Portugals in India is prohibited to men, because indeed 'tis a thing too effeminate, nevertheless, as
2436-632: The Ark of the Covenant in the Book of Exodus resembles a litter. In Ancient Rome , a litter called lectica or sella often carried members of the imperial family, as well as other dignitaries and other members of the rich elite, when not mounted on horseback. The habit must have proven quite persistent, for the Third Council of Braga in 675 AD saw the need to order that bishops, when carrying
2523-473: The Bukidnon did not inherit their positions, but were acquired through martial prowess. After the Spanish conquest, the Spanish translated the name maharlika as Hidalgos (or libres ). The term maharlika is a loanword from Sanskrit maharddhika (महर्द्धिक), a title meaning "man of wealth, knowledge, or ability". Contrary to modern definitions, it did not refer to the ruling class, but rather to
2610-522: The Portugals are very little observers of their own Laws, they began at first to be tolerated upon occasion of the Rain, and for favours, or presents, and afterwards became so common that they are us'd almost by everybody throughout the whole year. Some translations of the Hebrew Bible refer to a wooden palanquin which King Solomon is said to have made for himself. Being transported by palanquin
2697-425: The kadatuan class. Local government units are administered by panglima (governors) and maharajah . The highest position in female nobility is the bai-a-labi (most exalted queen). This is followed by potri maamor (princess), solotan a bai (kind queen), and bai a dalomangcob (queen). Noble women are referred to as bayi ("lady"), while non-noble wealthy women are known as bayi a gaos (rich lady). During
Maginoo - Misplaced Pages Continue
2784-643: The maharlika were obligated to provide and prepare weapons at their own expense and answer the summons of the datu , wherever and whenever that might be, in exchange for a share in the war spoils ( ganima ). They accompanied their ruler in battles as comrades-at-arms and were always given a share. 1/5 of the spoils goes to the Ginoo and the 4/5 will be shared among the Maharlikans who participated, who in turn will subdivide their shares to their own warriors. The maharlika may also occasionally be obligated to work on
2871-404: The maygintawo to "dark knights" who gain their status by gold and not by lineage. The Tagalog datu were maginoo who ruled over a community (a dulohan or barangay , literally "corner" and " balangay boat" respectively) or had a large enough following. These datu either ruled over a single community (a pook ) or were part of a larger settlement (a bayan , "city-state"). They constituted
2958-527: The pangulo ("head" or "ruler"), kaponoan ("most sovereign", from the Visayan word for "root" or "origin", puno ), or makaporos nga datu (unifying chief). The pangulo of seaports with frequent foreign traffic may sometimes take on Malay or Sanskrit titles like Rajah ("ruler"), Batara ("noble lord"), Sarripada (from Sanskrit Sri Paduka , "His Highness"; variants include Salip , Sipad , Paduka , and Salipada ). However, they were not kings in
3045-403: The seggioli of Naples and Genoa , which were chairs for public hire slung from poles and carried on the shoulders of two porters. From the mid-17th century, visitors taking the waters at Bath would be conveyed in a chair enclosed in baize curtains, especially if they had taken a heated bath and were going straight to bed to sweat. The curtains kept off a possibly fatal draft. These were not
3132-541: The timawa were free to change allegiances at any time, as exemplified by the action of Rajah Humabon upon the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan . The earliest appearance of the term is manlica mentioned in the Boxer Codex with the meaning of "freeman". The only other contemporary account of the maharlika class was by the Franciscan friar Juan de Plasencia in the 16th century. He distinguished them from
3219-498: The "New Society Movement" ( Kilusang Bagong Lipunan ) era in the Philippines, President Ferdinand Marcos used the word maharlika to promote an authoritarian view of Filipino nationalism under martial law , claiming that it referred to the ancient Filipino nobility and included the kings and princes of ancient Philippine society. Marcos was influential in making "maharlika" a trendy name for streets, edifices, banquet halls, villages and cultural organizations. Marcos himself utilized
3306-564: The "royalty" class as is claimed, but refers to the vassal warrior class. The maharlika were also more or less unique to the Tagalog caste system and that of its neighboring tribes. Maharlika The maharlika ( Baybayin pre-virama: ᜋᜑᜎᜒᜃ meaning freeman or freedman ) were the feudal warrior class in ancient Tagalog society in Luzon , the Philippines . They belonged to
3393-475: The 19th century, were accompanied at night by link-boys who carried torches. Where possible, the link boys escorted the fares to the chairmen, the passengers then being delivered to the door of their lodgings. Several houses in Bath, Somerset , England still have the link extinguishers on the exteriors, shaped like outsized candle snuffers. In the 1970s, entrepreneur and Bathwick resident, John Cuningham, revived
3480-465: The Dutch, as a status marker: the more elaborate the palanquin, the higher the status of the owner. The joli was transported either by hired help, by nobles' peasants, or by slaves. Historically, the palanquin of a Javanese king ( raja ), prince ( pangeran ), lord ( raden mas ) or other noble ( bangsawan ) was known as a jempana ; a more throne-like version was called a pangkem . It was always part of
3567-524: The European sense. Their authority usually stems from favorable trade positions, military prowess, lineage, and wealth ( bahandi ) rather than royal rule. While they had limited power over other member datu of the chiefdom based on their renown, they had no direct control over the subjects or lands of the other datu . The historian William Henry Scott theorizes that this may have been Ferdinand Magellan 's fatal error. Magellan assumed that Rajah Humabon
Maginoo - Misplaced Pages Continue
3654-522: The Maharlika Unit. Marcos also used Maharlika as his personal nom de guerre , depicting himself as the most bemedalled anti-Japanese Filipino guerrilla soldier during World War II. During the martial law period in the Philippines, Marcos attempted to produce a film entitled Maharlika to present his "war exploits". One of the results of this trend was the distortion of the original meaning of maharlika . Maharlika does not actually refer to
3741-673: The Spanish in the communities of Ternate and Tanza , Cavite , Manila in 1663 when the Spanish evacuated the islands under threat of invasion by the Dutch-allied Muslim sultanates. The name of the Mardijker people of Batavia also comes from the same etymon, and referred to freed slaves and servants under Dutch rule who were composed largely of Portuguese-speaking Catholic Goans , Moluccan Merdicas, and Filipinos (the Papangers ) captured by Moro raiders . During
3828-403: The chairmen hustled through. There were often disastrous accidents, upset chairs, and broken glass-paned windows. In Great Britain, in the early 19th century, the public sedan chair began to fall out of use, perhaps because streets were better paved or perhaps because of the rise of the more comfortable, companionable and affordable hackney carriage . In Glasgow , the decline of the sedan chair
3915-481: The court of the datu in various positions (though these may sometimes be filled with timawa as well). The chief minister or privy counselor of the datu was known as the atubang sa datu (literally "facing the datu "). The steward who collected and recorded tributes and taxes and dispensed them among the household and dependents of the datu was known as the paragahin . The paragahin was also responsible for organizing public feasts and communal work. The bilanggo
4002-570: The dead and wounded. Litters can also be created quickly by the lashing of poles to a chair . Such litters, consisting of a simple cane chair with maybe an umbrella to ward off the elements and two stout bamboo poles, may still be found in Chinese mountain resorts such as the Huangshan Mountains to carry tourists along scenic paths and to viewing positions inaccessible by other means of transport. A more luxurious version consists of
4089-399: The departed. In pre-colonial Philippines, litters were a way of transportation for the elite ( maginoo , ginu , tumao ); Rajahs , Lakans , Datus , sovereign princes ( Rajamuda ) and their wives use a Sankayan or Sakayan , a wooden or bamboo throne with elaborate and intricate carvings carried by their servants. Also among their retinue were payong (umbrella)-bearers, to shade
4176-528: The difficulties posed by the mountainous terrain of the Korean peninsula and the lack of paved roads, gama s were preferred over wheeled vehicles. In traditional weddings, the bride and groom are carried to the ceremony in separate gama s, this custom goes back to the times of Joseon Dynasty , when the gamas were also used for celebrations of passing government exams and funerals. As the population of Japan increased and less and less land remained available for
4263-606: The elite travelled in light bamboo seats supported on a carrier's back like a backpack. In the Northern Wei dynasty and the Northern and Southern Song dynasty , wooden carriages on poles appear in painted landscape scrolls. A commoner used a wooden or bamboo civil litter ( Chinese : 民轎 ; pinyin : min2 jiao4 ), while the mandarin class used an official litter (Chinese: 官轎 ; pinyin: guan1 jiao4 ) enclosed in silk curtains. The chair with perhaps
4350-443: The ends of the poles. Designs include foliage, animals, and geometric patterns. Ibn Batutta describes them as being "carried by eight men in two lots of four, who rest and carry in turn. In the town there are always a number of these men standing in the bazaars and at the sultan's gate and at the gates of other persons for hire." Those for "women are covered with silk curtains." Palanquins are mentioned in literature as early as
4437-636: The exhibition "Les magicians de la terre" in the Centre Pompidou in Paris they were shown in many art museums around the world. From at least the 15th century until the 19th century, litters of varying types known as tipoye were used in the Kingdom of Kongo as a mode of transportation for the elites. Seat-style litters with a single pole along the back of the chair carried by two men (usually slaves) were topped with an umbrella. Lounge-style litters in
SECTION 50
#17327729706884524-403: The fact that they were usually transported by slaves in covered palanquins . Women of the kadatoan class were powerful and revered. The first wife of the datu and the binokot could command the same number of slaves and dependents. A datu who gained his status by marrying a princess is known as a sabali . A datu who is of pure royal lineage is known as potli or lubus nga datu , while
4611-412: The first degree"). All of these titles are strictly hereditary. Below the royal nobility are the provincial governors ( panglima ) as well as wealthy people ( orang kaya ). Commoners can sometimes be promoted to nobility, known as datu sadja . Usually for outstanding feats or services in line of duty through display of bravery, heroism, and so on. Unlike true datu , the rank is only for the lifetime of
4698-511: The form of a miniature hut. In Spanish-colonial Philippines, litters remained one of the options of transportation for the Spanish inhabitants and members of the native principalia class. In Southern Ghana the Akan and the Ga-Dangme carry their chiefs and kings in palanquins when they appear in their state durbars . When used in such occasions these palanquins may be seen as a substitutes of
4785-464: The gallop'. Portuguese and Spanish navigators and colonisers encountered litters of various sorts in India , Mexico , and Peru . Such novelties, imported into Spain , spread into France and then to Britain . All the European names for these devices ultimately derive from the root sed- , as in Latin sedere , "to sit", which gave rise to seda ("seat") and its diminutive sedula ("little seat"),
4872-560: The grazing of animals, restrictions were placed upon the use of horses for non-military purposes, with the result that human-powered transport grew increasingly important and eventually came to prevail. Kago ( Kanji : 駕籠, Hiragana : かご) were often used in Japan to transport the non-samurai citizen. Norimono were used by the warrior class and nobility, most famously during the Tokugawa period when regional samurai were required to spend
4959-428: The greatest importance was the bridal chair ( Chinese : 喜轎 ; pinyin : xi3 jiao4 ). A traditional bride is carried to her wedding ceremony by a "shoulder carriage" (Chinese: 肩輿 ; pinyin: jiān yú ), usually hired. These were lacquered in an auspicious shade of red, richly ornamented and gilded , and were equipped with red silk curtains to screen the bride from onlookers. Sedan chairs were once
5046-516: The hereditary nobility class of the Tagalogs (the maginoo class, which included the datu ). The historian William Henry Scott believes that the class originated from high-status warriors who married into the maginoo blood or were perhaps remnants of the nobility class of a conquered line. Similar high-status warriors in other Philippine societies like that of the Bagobo ,Higaonon Sugbohanon and
5133-411: The hoax linked with Marcos historical distortionism falsely claimed that the whole Philippine archipelago had once been a single "Maharlika Kingdom," and that Marcos' alleged personal wealth came about because the so-called royal family of this kingdom had hired Marcos as their lawyer in the days after World War II, paying him " 192 thousand tons of gold " for his legal services. Senator Eddie Ilarde
5220-546: The lands of the datu and assist in projects and other events in the community. Unlike the timawa , however, the maharlika were more militarily-oriented than the timawa nobility of the Visayas . While the maharlika could change allegiances by marriage or by emigration like the timawa , they were required to host a feast in honor of their current datu and paid a sum ranging from six to eighteen pieces of gold before they could be freed from their obligations. In contrast,
5307-534: The latter of which was contracted to sella , the traditional Classical Latin name for a chair, including a carried chair. In Europe this mode of transportation met with instant success. Henry VIII of England (reigned 1509–1547) was carried around in a sedan chair—it took four strong chairmen to carry him towards the end of his life—but the expression "sedan chair" did not appear in print until 1615. Trevor Fawcett notes (see link) that British travellers Fynes Moryson (in 1594) and John Evelyn (in 1644–45) remarked on
SECTION 60
#17327729706885394-510: The lower nobility class similar to the timawa of the Visayan people . In modern Filipino , however, the word has come to refer to aristocrats or to royal nobility, which was actually restricted to the hereditary maginoo class. The maharlika were a martial class of freemen. Like the timawa , they were free vassals of their datu who were exempt from taxes and tribute but were required to provide military service. In times of war,
5481-580: The mid-17th century, sedans for hire had become a common mode of transportation. London had "chairs" available for hire in 1634, each assigned a number and the chairmen licensed because the operation was a monopoly of a courtier of King Charles I . Sedan chairs could pass in streets too narrow for a carriage, helping to alleviate the crush of coaches in London streets, an early instance of traffic congestion . A similar system later operated in Scotland . In 1738
5568-406: The mid-19th century, palanquins remained popular for those who could afford them, but they fell out of favor for long journeys as steamers, railways, and roads suitable for wheeled transport were developed. By the beginning of the 20th century they were nearly "obsolete among the better class of Europeans". Rickshaws , introduced in the 1930s, supplanted them for trips around town. Modern use of
5655-570: The only public conveyance in Hong Kong, filling the role of cabs. Chair stands were found at all hotels, wharves, and major crossroads. Public chairs were licensed, and charged according to tariffs which would be displayed inside. Private chairs were an important marker of a person's status. Civil officers' status was denoted by the number of bearers attached to his chair. Before Hong Kong 's Peak Tram went into service in 1888, wealthy residents of The Peak were carried on sedan chairs by porters up
5742-624: The palanquin is limited to ceremonial occasions. A doli carries the bride in a traditional wedding , and they may be used to carry religious images in Hindu processions. Many parts in Uttar Pradesh, India like Gorakhpur and around places Vishwakarma communities has been involved in making the dolis for wedding processions. The last known doli making dates back around 2000 by Sharmas(Vishwakarmas) in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. In Han China
5829-445: The proper sedan chairs "to carry the better sort of people in visits, or if sick or infirmed" ( Celia Fiennes ). In the 17th and 18th centuries, the chairs stood in the main hall of a well-appointed city residence, where a lady could enter and be carried to her destination without setting foot in a filthy street. The neoclassical sedan chair made for Queen Charlotte (Queen Consort from 1761 to 1818) remains at Buckingham Palace . By
5916-634: The recipient and is not hereditary. The Maranao people of the Lanao region differ from other Moro sultanates in that it is not centralized. Instead it is a confederation of several independent Maranao states each formed by multiple clans. The hereditary royal class of the Maranao society are collectively known as pidtaylan , and trace their descent from the first Sultan. These sultans rule independent states ( pengampong ), which are further divided into smaller communities ( pulok ) ruled by hereditary datu of
6003-511: The relics of martyrs in procession, must walk to the church, and not be carried in a chair, or litter, by deacons clothed in white. In the Catholic Church, Popes were carried the same way in sedia gestatoria , which was replaced later by the popemobile . A palanquin is a covered litter, usually for one passenger. It is carried by an even number of bearers (between two and eight, but most commonly four) on their shoulders, by means of
6090-558: The royalty and nobility from the intense heat. Princesses ( binibini , dayang dayang ) who were sequestered from the world were called Binukot or Binocot (“set apart”). A special type of royal, these individuals were forbidden to walk on the ground or be exposed to the general populace. When they needed to go anywhere, they were veiled and carried in a hammock or a basket-like litter similar to bird's nests carried by their slaves. Longer journeys required that they be borne inside larger, covered palanquins with silk covers, with some taking
6177-733: The same etymon , were also the Catholic native inhabitants of the islands of Ambon , Ternate , and Tidore of the Moluccas in modern-day Indonesia, converted during the Portuguese and Spanish occupation of the islands by Jesuit missionaries. Most were enslaved or expelled to Batavia (modern Jakarta ) and Java when the Dutch Empire conquered Ambon in 1605. The remaining Catholic natives in Ternate and Tidore were resettled by
6264-500: The sedan chair service business for a brief amount of time. In traditional Catholic processions , holy statues and relics are still carried through the streets using litters. In pharaonic Egypt and many other places such as India , Rome , and China , the ruler and divinities (in the form of an idol like lord Krishna ) were often transported in a litter in public, frequently in procession, as during state ceremonial or religious festivals. The instructions for how to construct
6351-469: The shape of a bed were used to move one to two people with a porter at each corner. Due to the tropical climate, horses were not native to the area nor could they survive very long once introduced by the Portuguese. Human portage was the only mode of transportation in the region and became highly adept with missionary accounts claiming the litter transporters could move at speeds 'as fast as post horses at
6438-679: The steep paths to their residence including Sir Richard MacDonnell's (former Governor of Hong Kong ) summer home , where they could take advantage of the cooler climate. Since 1975 an annual sedan chair race has been held to benefit the Matilda International Hospital and commemorate the practice of earlier days. In Korea, royalty and aristocrats were carried in wooden litters called gama ( Korean : 가마 ). Gama s were primarily used by royalty and government officials. There were six types of gama , each assigned to different government official rankings. Because of
6525-466: The time of former president of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos , the term "maharlika" was mistakenly attributed to mean "royalty". As part of his drive at promoting the Bagong Lipunan (New Society), Marcos sponsored the research into pre-Hispanic culture of the Philippines. Apart from recommending changing the name of the Philippines into "Maharlika", Marcos was influential in making maharlika
6612-406: The top, the tumao (nobility). The tumao consisted of blood relatives of the datu (community leader) untainted by slavery, servitude, or witchcraft. They were usually descendants of the children of a datu and secondary wives known as sandil . Various tumao supporters of the datu are collectively referred to as sandig sa datu ("beside the datu"). The tumao were also usually employed in
6699-463: The winning parties in a dispute settled by the ruling of the datu ), and hikun (the greater share of property being redistributed). They had control of trade through honos (fee for anchoring a ship in the community harbor), bihit (tariffs), and lopig (discounts on local purchases). They also had the power to restrict access to communal property through decrees ( balwang ) and their crops and animals were distributed among his subjects to care for in
6786-427: The word to christen a highway , a broadcasting corporation, and the reception area of Malacañang Palace . Marcos's use of the word started during World War II . Marcos claimed that he had commanded a group of guerrillas known as the Maharlika Unit. Marcos also used Maharlika as his personal nom de guerre , depicting himself as the most bemedalled anti-Japanese Filipino guerrilla soldier during World War II. In
6873-760: The wounded from the battlefield. In the early 19th century, the most prevalent mode of long-distance transport for the affluent was by palanquin. The post office could arrange, with a few days notice, relays of bearers to convey a traveller's palanquin between stages or stations. The distance between these in the government's dak ( Hindi : "mail") system averaged about 10 miles (16 km), and could be covered in three hours. A relay's usual complement consisted of two torch-bearers, two luggage-porters, and eight palanquin-bearers who worked in gangs of four, although all eight might pitch in at steep sections. A passenger could travel straight through or break their journey at dak bungalows located at certain stations. Until
6960-493: The years before the martial law period in the Philippines, Marcos commissioned a film entitled Maharlika to be based on his "war exploits". However, critic Ernie M. Hizon of the Manila Standard noted that the film does not actually depict any of the details from Marcos' alleged exploits during World War II, but is instead a "run-of-the-mill Hollywood war film populated by third-class actors." A later variant of
7047-609: Was pleasant. Owning one and keeping the staff to power it was a luxury affordable even to low-paid clerks of the East India Company . Concerned that this indulgence led to neglect of business in favor of "rambling", in 1758 the Court of Directors of the company prohibited its junior clerks from purchasing and maintaining palanquins. Also in the time of the British in India, dolis served as military ambulances, used to carry
7134-464: Was reflective of greater cultural permeation by Islam. Occasionally, a weapon or heirloom, such as an important keris or tombak, was given its own palanquin. In Hindu culture in Bali today, the tradition of using palanquins for auspicious statues, weapons or heirlooms continues, for funerals especially; in more elaborate rituals, a palanquin is used to bear the body, and is subsequently cremated along with
7221-519: Was reserved for particularly powerful maginoo who ruled over a large number of dependents and slaves, owned extensive property, and whose lineage was impeccable. Lower-status maginoo who gained prominence by newly acquired wealth were scornfully known as maygintawo (literally "person with a lot of gold"; nouveau riche ). In Vocabulario de la lengua tagala (1613), the Spanish Franciscan missionary Pedro de San Buenaventura compared
7308-423: Was the first to propose to rename the Philippines into "Maharlika" in 1978, citing the need to honor the country's ancient heritage before the Spanish and Americans occupied the country. Ferdinand Marcos was in favor of changing the name of the Philippines into "Maharlika", thinking it meant "nobility", as a symbol of nationalism. In 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte reiterated the idea, thinking that it means "more of
7395-493: Was the king of the land and thus of Mactan as well. But the island of Mactan, the domain of Lapu-Lapu and another datu named Zula, was in a location that enabled them to intercept trade ships entering the harbor of Cebu , Humabon's domain. Thus it was more likely that Lapu-Lapu was actually more powerful than Humabon. Humabon himself was married to Lapu-Lapu's niece. When Magellan demanded that Lapu-Lapu submit as his "king" Humabon had done, Lapu-Lapu purportedly replied that "he
7482-401: Was the one responsible for maintaining law and order and whose own house served as the community jail ( bilanggowan ). Both tumao and timawa were obligated to serve as the military forces of the datu in times of war, at their own expense. The immediate royal family of the Visayan datu were distinguished from the rest of the tumao as the kadatoan , which was both a political office and
7569-477: Was unwilling to come and do reverence to one whom he had been commanding for so long a time". In the Muslim Sultanate of Sulu and Sultanate of Maguindanao , the supreme ruler was the sultan. The power of the sultan is counterpoised by a council of datu . Female nobility of these ranks were addressed as dayang ("princess"), with the sultan's daughters being known as dayang-dayang ("princess of
#687312