Rajahnate of Butuan, Richer Than Srivijaya

Detail of a neck ornament. Ayala Museum, 81.5171.
Photography by Neal Oshima; Image courtesy of Ayala Museum

This is what made the Srivijayan-Majapahit Empire the richest empire during those times:

"It was no surprise why the Majapahit Empire was the richest kingdom in the world when it had controlled the Maharlikan archipelago. The same reason is also attributed to the legendary King Solomon’s temple made of gold that were mined from the land of Ophir." (The Maharlikans: Fact #8)

The polity known as Butuan in the southern Philippines rose to commercial prominence in the tenth century, but ultimately declined in the thirteenth century for unknown reasons. The cultural area associated with this land transcended the political boundaries of the present-day Philippine provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, and Surigao del Sur.

Early Chinese sources offer clues to the power of Butuan at its peak. The Song Shi (History of the Song) documents that the Butuan king Ch’i-ling, or Kiling, sent emissaries to the Chinese imperial court in 1003 and 1007 and other texts make note of trade between China and Butuan. The astonishing quantities and impressive quality of gold treasures recovered in Butuan suggest that its flourishing port settlement played an until recently little-recognized role in early Southeast Asian trade. Surprisingly, the amount of gold discovered in Butuan far exceeds that found in Sumatra, where the much better known flourishing kingdom of Srivijaya is said to have been located.

Highlighted in this section of the exhibition are selections from a spectacular hoard of gold necklaces, chains, waistbands, bangles, ritual bowls, implements, and ceremonial weapons that was accidentally discovered in 1981 in the hamlet of Magroyong near Butuan. Objects from this cache, known as the Surigao Treasure, are among the most intriguing in the collection of early Philippine gold objects assembled from the 1960s to 1981 by archaeologist-collector Cecilia Y. Locsin (1930–2013) and her husband Leandro V. Locsin (1928–1994) that are now part of the collections of the Ayala Museum.

The personal adornments recovered from Butuan appear to be primarily elite regalia. These splendid adornments and ritual objects were probably part of a ruling family’s bahandi, or collective heirloom wealth. The identity and fate of the royal family who presumably owned the treasures are unknown. Future excavations in Butuan may provide us with more information about everyday life in the ancient society that produced these technically astounding works.

Source: The Kingdom of Butuan

Fact #9: The Maharlikans Have No Social Classes or Titles

9. Titles like rajah, datu or lakan were of Hindu-Malayan origins. Maharlikan people have no titles except being “maharlikans” which means men of renown, great men or men from the great plane.

Recent archaeological findings suggests that the history of the Philippines could have begun as early as 67,000 years ago with the discovery of Callao Man and believed to have reached the Islands using primitive rafts or boats. Callao Man predated the arrival of the Negritos 37,000 years earlier. Indonesians arrived more or less between 6,000 to 5,000 years ago.

These groups then stratified into: hunter-gatherer tribes, warrior societies, petty plutocracies and maritime-oriented harbor principalities which eventually grew into kingdoms, rajahnates, principalities, confederations and sultanates. States such as the Indianized Rajahnate of Butuan and Cebu, the dynasty of Tondo, the august kingdoms of Maysapan and Maynila, the Confederation of Madyaas, the sinified Country of Mai, as well as the Muslim Sultanates of Sulu and Maguindanao. These small maritime states flourished from as early as the 1st Millenium. These kingdoms traded with what are now now called China, India, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia.[1]

Titles such as datu, raha, lakan or sultan in the early Pre-Spanish Philippines were of colonial influences and origins introduced during the spread of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. The pure Muian Maharlikans have no social classes, statuses or titles as they were created equally in reference to their original purpose and nature. They simply called themselves the maharlikans meaning men of renown, great men, or men from the great plane, a name which exemplifies their sublime and pure origin, their level of consciousness, and their purpose in accordance with the divine plan of creation. In Tagalog terminology, in the Philippine history, maharlika became commonly referred to as “freemen” (malaya) or sometimes called the “noblemen” (maginoo). The first term implies an acquired status free from being a slave or a subject of a master while the second one implies nobility, high regard or respectable status in the society. However, these definitions of terms are misnomers.

The following descriptions should further clarify these terms:

·              Datu - The word Datu is a cognate of the Malay terms Dato' or Datuk, which is one of many noble titles in Malaysia, and to the Fijian chiefly title of Ratu.

·              Raha - Raha; also spelled Raja or Rajah (from Sanskrit Rājan), is a title for a monarch or princely ruler in South and Southeast Asia. The female form Rani (sometimes spelled ranee) applies equally to the wife of a Raja (or of an equivalent style such as Rana), usually as queen consort and occasionally as regent.

·              Lakan - Lakan originally referred to a rank in the pre-Hispanic Filipino nobility in the island of Luzon, which means "paramount ruler." It has been suggested that this rank is equivalent to that of Raha, and that different ethnic groups either used one term or the other, or used the two words interchangeably.

·              Sri - Sri, also transliterated as Sree, Shri, Shree, Si or Seri is a word of Sanskrit origin, used in the Indian subcontinent as a polite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." or "Ms."

·              Sultan – Sultan is a title of the ruler of a Muslim country, especially of the former Ottoman Empire.

·              Dayang – Dayang or Dayang Dayang means "princes", and is a title given only to the daughters of the Sultan.

So far, the oldest known written record in the Philippine history discovered in the Philippine soil is the Laguna Copperplate Inscription dating back in the year 822 AD, written in the Indonesian script called Kavi. Navigators, sailors and traders of the Srivijayan Empire started their influences by 9th until 12th century. The Chinese had established a commercial contact with the Pre-Hispanic Filipinos as early as the year 982. By 14th century, Islam started to spread in the Philippines. Majapahit Empire replaced Srivijayan Empire until the early 15th century and occupied a Maharlikan territory thereafter.

With that being said, from the pre-colonial times until 822 AD, there were no surviving records have been found to consult what exactly happened during those missing years. Henceforth, the claim by many that the Muslims were the first to populate the Philippine archipelago is a lie, a baseless claim that should not be entertained at all levels. That statement is a blatant disrespect to the first inhabitants in the Philippines propagated by those Muslims who are trying to give credit to their religion or to their unfounded claim that they belong to the bloodlines of the sultan and the entire archipelago belongs to them.

Source:
[1] History of Philippines

Fact #8: The Srivijayan & Majapahit Empires Were Only Custodians of the Ophir's Gold

8. The nation's treasury of the Maharlikan people were so abundant that when under the Srivijayan-Majapahit Empire these were accumulated and taken as part of the empires’ treasury being the custodians of the wealth meant (only) for the Maharlikan nation.

In the previous topics, three facts were established: 1) the location of the land called Ophir (of the Maharlikan people) where King Solomon obtained gold points to no other place than the present-day Philippine Archipelago; 2) gold was so abundant in the land of Ophir during those days, and; 3) the Maharlikan people in the land of Ophir were in trade relations with other kingdoms and nations.

Prior to the Moslem's invasions of the Malayan Peninsula, in the 15^th century, the Majapahit Empire had already commercially controlled most part of the Maharlikan archipelago due to the latter’s having no central governance to unify the nation and no central forces to resist the impending occupation. It was an easy integration process on the part of the empire as there was no opposition at all. That condition of no central rulership had convinced them that the Maharlikan archipelago is a territory belonging to the Majapahit.

But owing to the unceasing incursions of the Moslems in the Malaya Peninsula between 1470's to 1520's establishing their sultanate governance and the Sharia Law in the region, the Majapahit Empire slowly disintegrated forcing its remaining central government to gradually moved from Java to Bali (Indonesia). And from there, a large number of courtiers, artisans, priests, and members of the royal family together with the huge amount of their treasury finally transferred to the Maharlikan archipelago in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (North Borneo).

There, in the Maharlikan archipelago the reigning royal family remained undisturbed for two centuries. With that reason, among others, as the reigning family continues, the treasures and natural resources were mined and accumulated into their treasury for the sustenance of the newly established kingdom. Gold was so abundant in the land that by shifting alone on the riverbeds anyone can find a gold nugget even as big as egg or walnut. Citing from the article Gold of Ancestors: Ayala Museum's Greatest Treasures written by Emmie V. Abadilla in 2014, she said, "Masters and slaves wore gold in their daily lives. Even the lowest of the low slaves wore gold ornaments. The country overflowed with gold in those days." It was no surprise why the Majapahit Empire was the richest kingdom in the world when it had controlled the Maharlikan archipelago. The same reason is also attributed to the legendary King Solomon’s temple made of gold that were mined from the land of Ophir.

Fact #6: From Srivijayan to Majapahit, They Were Silent Assimilators of the Land of Ophir

6. The Srivijayan Empire was the later silent assimilator of this land of Ophir bringing with them their Hindu-Malayan culture. This leads to the gradual banishment of the remnants of the Maharlikan people (Ylayas) and their culture as they gradually were assimilated into the Hindu-Malayan culture. Those who maintained the Muian ways found the comfort of nature in the hinterlands. The indigenous people (in the Philippines) are now their living descendants.

Noted here that the Srivijayan Empire flourished more or less between 8th to 12th century CE (Common Era). Although it is not clear but most probably the root of the Srivijayan Empire might have started to flourish and gain notoriety as early as the 5th century around present-day Palembang, Sumatra. The land of Ophir on the other hand was a biblical name of that isles afar off mentioned in the Bible dating back to the time of King Solomon of Israel around 970 BC - 931 BC. Ophir was undisputedly rich of gold where the king of Israel obtained by the ships. Most of those who tried to locate the physical Ophir did find their ways all the way to the present day Philippine Archipelago. It has to be underlined therein that the biblical land of Ophir is the present day Philippine Islands rich of gold the Srivijayan Empire was so obsessed to have gained control of including its wealth and treasure.

Once again, bear in mind for a while that prior to the advent of the Hindu-Malayan culture of the Srivijayan-Majapahit Empire, the Ylayan civilization did flourish peacefully and abundantly in terms of mercantile with foreign traders, serene annual atmospheric condition, blissful health, great wealth, bountiful harvest and prosperity in their life in general. It was at this period when great volumes of gold and almaciga or almug (algum) tree (Scientific Name: Igathis philippinensis) were shipped out for the construction of King Solomon's temple. In short, it was their "golden age" as regarded by the forthcoming empire.

Moreover, the mere fact that I used the word "assimilator" in the heading is because there was no resistance from them as they have welcomed the new merchant-occupants (Srivijayan Empire) with open arms in the name of mutual respect and co-existence. Nevertheless, due to their contrasting cultural orientations, the atmosphere and the deep feeling of ethnocentrism forced the Ylayas to find comfort in the mountains and forests.

It might be unfair at this moment to purport that some of the indigenous people in the Philippines, who were fearsome warriors and practiced head-hunting, like the Kalingas of the Kalinga Province, did not evolve from the Ylayan blood but from the Srivijayan culture. This assessment finds reference to the existence of Kalinga Kingdom in ancient east India approximately 265 BCE. The region was scene of the bloody Kalinga War fought by Ashoka of the Maurya Empire.

Fact #3: The Maharlikans Were Not Fearsome Warriors

3. The Maharlikans were not warriors contrary to prevailing notions because during their times they have no enemies or in conflict with other races, except with nature's law of balance and restoration that destroyed the grandeur of their civilization.

The Maharlikans were peace-loving people contrary to prevailing claims that they were warriors. They knew of the Gods (Elohim) in the heavens (shamayim) who created them. Though they never conceived in the rational sense any form or pattern of a system of belief called religion, their ways of living conformed harmoniously with laws of the Gods and of nature, to the principles and virtue of love, for which, its solemn practice begets mutual respect, loving-kindness, compassion, and the respect for life. Every member of the community had earned the respect as they have conferred the same respect due to others. The connection was so strong that Jainism's teaching of ahimsa or non-injury to anyone has its linking from the Maharlikan's concept of respect for all forms of life. This was slightly modified in Buddha's teaching of the "law of cause and effect" or karma thus popularized the proverb, "Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful".

Moreover, the concept of Maharlikan warrior was a colonial mentality of Srivijayan or Majapahit Empire influence who brought to them those warlike attitudes. The Indonesians were the real warriors of excelled marksmanship thirsty of the enemy's blood. The pure Maharlikans on the other side were neither oppressive nor defensive. Taking arms or engaging one's self in conflict with other people, such as in war or arms struggle, justifying killing, is for them a taboo condemned at all levels. That Maharlikan warrior thinking is contrary to the law of co-existence.

Facts About the Maharlikan Race

Unfortunately, most of the Maharlikan consciousness movements nowadays are tracing the wrong lineage of information in their presentations of "who the real Maharlikan people were".

First and foremost, the real Maharlikan people were a race of spiritually advanced civilization whose level of consciousness surpasses the level of our spirituality. They were the descendants of the Muian people.

Second, the real Maharlikans lived earlier, in the pre-historic times, when the world was much younger, before and after the last great upheaval until after the last ice age.

Third, the Maharlikans were not warriors contrary to prevailing notions because during their times they have no enemies or in conflict with other races, except with nature's law of balance and restoration that destroyed the grandeur of their civilization.

Fourth, the later descendants of the Maharlikan race were those "Ylayas" (Isidro Escare Abeto, 1989) in a land called Ophir, from whom King Solomon obtained ships of gold. During that period the Ylayas have already well established their communities after the cataclysmic event that destroyed the Muian civilization.

Fifth, the Kalantiaw Code (be it a hoax or not) was a later version of a much older code observed during the times of Ophir.

Sixth, the Srivijayan Empire was the later silent assimilator of this land of Ophir bringing with them their Hindu-Malayan culture. This leads to the gradual banishment of the remnants of the Maharlikan people (Ylayas) and their culture as they gradually were assimilated into the Indo-Malayan culture. Those who maintained the Muian ways found the comfort of nature in the hinterlands. The indigenous people (in the Philippines) are now their living descendants.

Seventh, the Srivijayan or Majapahit Empires were aware of the golden age in the history of the Maharlikan people. They themselves inclined to believe they were also descendants of the Maharlikans so they adopted almost everything pertaining the Maharlikan civilization.

Eighth, the nation's treasury of the Maharlikan people were so abundant that when under the Srivijayan-Majapahit Empire these were accumulated and taken as part of the empires’ treasury being the custodians of those wealth meant (only) for the Maharlikan nation.

Nineth, titles like rajah, datu or lakan were of Hindu-Malayan origins. Maharlikan people have no titles except being “maharlikans” which means men of renown, great men or men from the great plane.

Tenth, the Hindu-Malayan people or empires retained the former's title maharajah of the maharlikan from the mahar-loka which later gave rise to what others are now claiming as the Maharlikans (the Filipinos).

NOTE: The Tagean-Tallano clan who are claiming to be the sole owners of the entire archipelago based on a document known as the Original Certificate of Title No. T-01-1, do not belong to the genuine maharlikan lineage. Like the late Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos, the Tagean-Tallano clan were only among the custodians, by virtue of obligations, of the wealth of the Maharlikan kingdom meant for the Filipino people.