View source for Cebu (historical polity)

{{Short description|Historical polity in the Philippines}}
{{Cleanup rewrite|it uses ''Bisaya Patronymesis Sri Visjaya'', ''Aginid, Bayok sa Atong Tawarik'', and ''History of Panay from the first inhabitants and the Bornean immigrants from which the Bisayans are descended to the Arrival of the Spaniards'' as sources{{emdash}}the two former have been proven hoaxes, and the History of Panay is considered as a mere legend, as well as Macachor and Montebon's works, which greatly source from the former three|article or section|date=November 2021}}
{{Use Philippine English|date=May 2021}}
{{use mdy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox country
| native_name            = ''Sugbu''
| conventional_long_name = Rajahnate of Cebu
| common_name            = Rajahnate of Cebu
| title_leader           = [[Raja]]h
| year_leader1           = 1521
| leader1                = [[Rajah Humabon]]
| year_leader2           = 1521–1565<ref name="Scott 1992"/>
| leader2                = [[Rajah Tupas]] (last)
| common_languages       = [[Classical Cebuano|Old Cebuano]], [[Malay language|Old Malay]], [[Middle Tamil]]
| religion               = [[Syncretic]] form of [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]] and [[Animism]] (''see also'' [[Deities of Philippine mythology|Polytheism]])<br />[[Roman Catholicism]] (since 1521)
| year_end               = 1565
| year_start             = {{circa}}1400
| date_end               = 4 June
| p1 =
| s1 = Captaincy General of the Philippines
| flag_s1 = Flag of New Spain.svg
| s2 = Cebu (province)
| flag_s2       = Flag of New Spain.svg
| image_map              = sugbumap.png
| image_map_caption      = Map of the Rajanate of Cebu in 1521, with Sugbu under Rajah Humabon colored as dark blue, and its subordinate barangays as lighter blue. Mactan under Si Lapulapu is colored yellow green.
| capital                = [[Singhapala]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Valeros |first=Maria Eleanor E. |date=September 13, 2009 |title=The Aginid |url=https://www.philstar.com/cebu-lifestyle/2009/09/13/504558/aginid |website=Philstar.com |language=en}}</ref> (Modern Mabolo district in [[Cebu City]])
| currency               = Barter
| today                  = Philippines
}}
{{History of the Philippines}}
{{Pre-hispanic History of the Philippines}}

The '''Rajahnate of Cebu''' or '''Cebu''' also called as '''Sugbu''', was an [[Indianized kingdom|Indianized]] [[Raja]] monarchy [[Mandala (political model)|Mandala]] (polity) on the island of [[Cebu]]<ref name="Santarita" /> in the Philippines prior to the arrival of the [[Spanish Empire|Spanish]] [[conquistador]]s. It is known in ancient Chinese records as the nation of Sokbu (束務) ([[Hokkien]]) or Suwu ([[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]]).<ref name="CarmelaAng">[https://www.pacs.ph/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/03-Carmelea-final.pdf SONG, MING, AND OTHER CHINESE SOURCES ON PHILIPPINES-CHINA RELATIONS] By Carmelea Ang See. Page 74.</ref> According to Visayan oral legend, it was founded by [[Sri Lumay]]<ref name="Santarita">Santarita, J. B. (2018). Panyupayana: The Emergence of Hindu Polities in the Pre-Islamic Philippines. Cultural and Civilisational Links Between India and Southeast Asia, 93–105.</ref> or Rajamuda Lumaya, a minor prince of the Tamil [[Chola dynasty]].<ref name="Santarita" /> He was sent by the [[Chola Empire|Chola emperor]] from southern India to establish a base for expeditionary forces, but he rebelled and established his own independent polity.<ref name="Abellana 1952">{{Cite book |last=Abellana |first=Jovito |title=Aginid, Bayok sa Atong Tawarik |date=1952}}</ref> The capital of the nation was [[Singhapala]]<ref name="Astrid" /> which is Tamil-Sanskrit<ref>[https://mothership.sg/2016/12/5-other-places-in-asia-which-are-also-called-singapura/ 5 other places in Asia which are also called Singapura By Joshua Lee]</ref> for "Lion City", the same root words with the modern city-state of [[Singapore]].

==History==
{{see also|Hinduism in the Philippines|Religion in pre-colonial Philippines|Indosphere|Indianisation}}

===Foundation of the rajahnate ===
[[File:Shiva_Bronze_Image_Mactan.png|thumb|A picture of a Bronze Image of the Hindu God [[Shiva]] (lost during World War 2), found at Mactan-Cebu. It shows how the culture of the area was Hindu and [[Greater India|Indianized]].]] A kingdom called Suwu<ref name="Shao-yun">[https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/39bce63e4e0642d3abce6c24db470760 "A Chinese Gazetteer of Foreign Lands" A new translation of Part 1 of the Zhufan zhi 諸蕃志 (1225) By Shao-yun Yang (Department of History, Denison University)]</ref> was mentioned in the 1225 Chinese Annals, the Zhufan Zhi (諸蕃志), and during the 17th Century this was the same name used for Cebu among Chinese traders to the Philippines thus it is presumed to be the same location.<ref name="CarmelaAng"  />

This kingdom was mentioned in association with Boni ([[Brunei]]) wherein it was written:

{{Blockquote
|text=“The countries of Xilonggong (Sailunggung/Sailengkeng, possibly
 Selingaan Island ), Shimiao (Simmiu/Simbio), Rili (Jatlai/Jitleh, possibly  Jelai ), Hulumantou (Wulomantau/Holobantau), '''Suwu''' (Somat/Sobut), Lima (Leima/Libeh), Danyu (Damjyu/Tamu), and Manuo (Manok/Belok) are located on islands in the sea. Their people travel to and fro in small boats, and their clothing and diet are the same as those of Boni. They produce sheng agarwood, lakawood, beeswax, and tortoiseshell. Merchants can trade for these with white porcelain ware, wine, rice, coarse salt, white spun silk, and trade-quality gold."<ref name="Shao-yun" />

|author=Zhao Rukuo
}}

According to Visayan folklore, [[Sri]] Lumay was a half-[[Tamil people|Tamil]]<ref name="Santarita" /> and half-[[Malay people|Malay]]<ref name="bulwagan">{{Cite web |last=Quirino |first=Karl |date=2010-09-01 |title=The Rajahnate of Cebu |url=https://thebulwaganfoundation.wordpress.com/2010/09/01/the-rajahnate-of-cebu/ |website=The Bulwagan Foundation Trust |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Santarita" /> [[Chola dynasty|Chola king]]<ref>{{Citation|title=Singhapala|date=2021-03-23|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Singhapala&oldid=1013756018|work=Wikipedia|language=en|access-date=2021-09-12}}</ref><ref name="Santarita" /><ref>{{Citation|last=Marr|first=J.|title=Chola|date=2003|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.t017371|work=Oxford Art Online|publisher=Oxford University Press|doi=10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.t017371|access-date=2021-09-12}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=December 2021}}, who settled in the [[Visayas]], and had several sons. One of his sons was Sri Alho, who ruled a land known as ''Sialo'' which included the present-day towns of [[Carcar]] and [[Santander, Cebu|Santander]] in the southern region of Cebu. Sri Ukob ruled a polity known as ''Nahalin'' in the north, which included the present-day towns of [[Consolacion]], [[Liloan, Cebu|Liloan]], [[Compostela, Cebu|Compostela]], [[Danao, Cebu|Danao]], [[Carmen, Cebu|Carmen]] and [[Bantayan, Cebu|Bantayan]]. He died in battle, fighting with the Muslim [[Moro pirates]] known as ''magalos'' (literally "destroyers of peace") from [[Mindanao]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Montebon |first=Marivir R. |title=Retracing Our Roots: A Journey Into Cebu's Precolonial and Colonial Past |date=2000 |publisher=ES Villaver Pub. |isbn=971-92309-0-8 |location=Minglanilla, Cebu |page=15 |language=en}}</ref> The islands they were in were collectively known as ''Pulua Kang Dayang'' or ''Kangdaya'' (literally "[the islands] which belong to Daya").<ref name="Macachor 2011" />

{{anchor|Chola kings}}
{{Chola history}}Sri Lumay was noted for his strict policies in defending against Moro Muslim raiders and slavers from Mindanao. His use of [[scorched earth]] tactics to repel invaders gave rise to the name ''Kang Sri Lumayng Sugbu'' (literally "that of Sri Lumay's great fire") to the town, which was later shortened to Sugbu ("scorched earth").<ref name="Macachor 2011">{{Cite journal |last=Macachor |first=Celestino C. |date=2011 |title=Searching for Kali in the Indigenous Chronicles of Jovito Abellana |url=http://cebueskrima.s5.com/custom3.html |url-status=dead |journal=Rapid Journal |language=en |volume=10 |issue=2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120703210211/http://cebueskrima.s5.com/custom3.html |archive-date=2012-07-03}}</ref>

===Reign of Sri Bantug ===
Sri Lumay was succeeded by the youngest of his sons, Sri Bantug, who ruled from a region known as ''[[Singhapala]]'', which is now [[Mabolo]] of Cebu City. He died of disease. Sri Bantug had a brother called Sri Parang who was originally slated to succeed Sri Bantug. But he was a cripple and could not govern his polity because of his infirmity. Parang handed his throne to Sri Bantug's son and his nephew, Sri Humabon (also spelled Sri Hamabar), who became the rajah of Cebu in his stead.

===Reign of Rajah Humabon ===
During [[Rajah Humabon]]'s reign, the region had since become an important trading center where agricultural products were bartered. From Japan, [[perfume]] and [[glass]] utensils were usually traded for native goods. [[Ivory]] products, leather, precious and semi-precious stones and ''śarkarā'' ([[sugar]]) mostly came from [[Indian people|India]] and [[Burmese people|Burma]] traders.<ref name=bulwagan /> The harbors of Sugbu (the modern-day [[Parián]] district of Cebu) became known colloquially as ''sinibuayang hingpit'' ("the place for trading"), shortened to ''sibu'' or ''sibo'' ("to trade"), from which the modern [[Castilian language in the Philippines|Castilian]] name "Cebú" originates. It was also during Humabon's reign that [[Lapulapu]] arrived from [[Borneo]], and was granted by Humabon the region of Mandawili (now [[Mandaue]]), including the island known as Opong or Opon (later known as [[Mactan]]). First contact with the Spanish also occurred during Humabon's reign, resulting in the death of [[Ferdinand Magellan]].<ref name="Macachor 2011" />

The phrase ''Kota Raya Kita''<ref>Approximated as ''Cata Raya Chita'' using Italianate orthography.</ref> was documented by historian Antonio Pigafetta, to be a warning in the [[Old Malay]] language, from a merchant to the rajah and was cited to have meant: <blockquote>"Have good care, O king, what you do, for these men are those who have conquered Calicut, Malacca, and all India the Greater. If you give them good reception and treat them well, it will be well for you, but if you treat them ill, so much the worse it will be for you, as they have done at Calicut and at Malacca."<ref>Pigafetta, A., Nancy-Libri-Phillipps-Beinecke-Yale codex, Skelton, R.A. English translation. pg. 71</ref></blockquote>
In reality, this phrase is that of ''Kota Raya kita'', an indigenous [[Malay language|Malay]] phrase of merchants under the authority of Rajah Humabon, with a meaning in English of: "our capital city": ''[[fortress|Kota]] (fortress)'', ''Raya'' (great, hence Kotaraya (capital city)), ''kita (we)''.

====Diplomacy with other Southeast Asian Kingdoms====

The Rajahnate of Cebu had diplomatic recognition among the other kingdoms of Southeast Asia. When Ferdinand Magellan's expedition landed on the port-kingdom of Cebu; the expedition scribe noted that not long before, an embassy carried by a ship from Siam ([[Thailand]]) arrived at the Cebu Rajahnate and paid tribute to Rajah Humabon.<ref>[https://magellanproject.org/author/jim/ Notes from Mactan By Jim Foster]</ref><ref>[https://www.gutenberg.org/files/42884/42884-h/42884-h.htm#pb138 "PRIMO VIAGGIO INTORNO AL MONDO"] By Antonio Pigafetta. MS. composed ca. 1525, of events of 1519–1522 (Page 138)</ref>

====Dependencies of Cebu====
Antonio Pigafetta, the expedition scribe, enumerated the towns and dependencies the Rajahnate of Cebu had.<ref>The First Voyage Round the World by Antonio Pigafetta, translated by Lord Stanley of Alderley (Page 105)</ref>

{{Blockquote
|text=“In this island of Zubu there are dogs and cats, and other animals, whose flesh is eaten; there is also rice, millet, panicum, and maize; there are also figs, oranges, lemons, sugar-canes, cocos, gourds, ginger, honey, and other such things; they also make palm-wine of many qualities. Gold is abundant. The island is large, and has a good port with two entrances: one to the west, and the other to the east-north-east. It is in ten degrees north latitude and 154 east longitude from the line of demarcation.”

“In this island there are several towns, each of which has its principal men or chiefs. Here are the names of the towns and their chiefs:—

'''Cingapola:''' its chiefs are Cilaton, Ciguibucan, Cimaninga, Cimaticat, Cicanbul.

'''Mandani:''' its chief is Aponoaan.

'''Lalan:''' its chief is Teten.

'''Lalutan:''' its chief is Japau.

'''Lubucin:''' its chief is Cilumai.
|author=Antonio Pigafetta
}}

It is notable how the Spanish mispronounced the Tamil "[[Singhapala]]" (சிங்கப்பூர்) as "Cingapola".

====Battle of Mactan====
The [[Battle of Mactan]] was fought on 27 April 1521 between forces of Rajah Humabon which included the Portuguese explorer [[Ferdinand Magellan]] hired by Spanish empire and [[Lapulapu]], it ended with the death of Ferdinand Magellan.

===Reign of Rajah Tupas and the subsuming by the Spanish===
Sri Parang, the limp, also had a young son, Sri Tupas, also known as [[Rajah Tupas]] who succeeded Rajah Humabon as king of Cebu.<ref name="Abellana 1952" /> There is linguistic evidence that Cebu tried to preserve its Indian-Malay roots as time wore on since Antonio Pigafetta the scribe of Magellan described Rajah Tupas' father, the brother of Rajah Humabon as a "Bendara" which means "Treasurer" or "Vizier" in Sanskritized Malay<ref name= "Astrid">[https://www.jstor.org/stable/29792596?read-now=1&refreqid=excelsior%3Ae66b04574962dd2277c44e2367352434&seq=28#page_scan_tab_contents THE GENEALOGY OF HARI' TUPAS: AN ETHNOHISTORY OF CHIEFLY POWER AND HIERARCHY IN SUGBU AS A PROTOSTATE Astrid Sala-Boza] Page 280.</ref> and is a shortening of the word "Bendahara" (भाण्डार) which means "Storage house" in Sanskrit.<ref name="Becoming Indian p.125">Becoming Indian: The Unfinished Revolution of Culture and Identity by Pavan K. Varma p.125</ref> The Hindu polity was dissolved during the reign of [[Rajah Tupas]] by the forces of conquistador [[Miguel López de Legazpi]] in the battle of Cebu during 1565.<ref name="Scott 1992">{{Cite book |last=Scott |first=William Henry |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z6ZwAAAAMAAJ |title=Looking for the Prehispanic Filipino and Other Essays in Philippine History |date=1992 |publisher=New Day Publishers |isbn=978-971-10-0524-5 |location=Quezon City |language=en}}</ref>

===Relations with other rajahnates===
The rajahs of Cebu were relatives to the rajahs of Butuan.{{refn|The book Aginid recounts the beginning of Cebu as having been founded by Bataugong and Balintawak, supposedly Humabon's great-grandparents. The book further narrates how the descendants of this couple founded their own chiefdoms and the narrative shows that the rulers of Butuan, for instance, were relatives of Humabon.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sala-Boza |first=Astrid |date=2006 |title=The Genealogy of Hari' Tupas: An Ethnohistory of Chiefly Power and Hierarchy in Sugbu as a Protostate |journal=Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society |language=en |volume=34 |issue=3 |pages=253–311 |jstor=29792596}}</ref>}} Thus the Rajahnates of Cebu and [[Rajahnate of Butuan|Butuan]] had relations with each other, as evidenced by the fact that Rajah Colambu of Butuan gave guidance to the Magellan expedition to reach [[Cebu]].<ref>{{Cite conference |last=Jackson |first=Emma |date=2020 |title=Ferdinand Magellan's Voyage and its Legacy in the Philippines |url=http://libjournals.unca.edu/ncur/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/3330-Jackson-Emma-FINAL.pdf |conference=Proceedings of The National Conference On Undergraduate Research (NCUR) 2020 Montana State University, Bozeman MT March 26–28, 2020 |language=en}}</ref> The rajahs of Butuan were descendants of Rajah Kiling, who according to Researcher Eric Casino, were not Visayan in origin but rather, Indian, because Kiling refers to the people of India.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Casino |first=Eric |date=2014 |title=The Barangays of Butuan: Lumad Mindanaoans in China and the Sulu Zone |journal=Asia Mindanaw: Dialogue of Peace and Development |pages=2}}</ref> The [[Sejarah Melayu]] (Malay Annals) of the nearby country of Malaysia, point to the similarly worded [[Keling]] as the immigrant people from India to Southeast Asia.<ref name="Sabrizain">{{Cite web |title=A Historical Perspective on the Word 'Keling' |url=http://www.sabrizain.org/malaya/keling.htm |access-date=24 April 2017 |website=Sejarah Melayu |language=en}}</ref> However, Cebu was not at peace with all Rajahnates. The [[Rajahnate of Maynila]], which was a colony of the [[Brunei Sultanate]]<ref name="GuerreroNakpil2003">{{Cite web |last=Nakpil |first=Carmen Guerrero |date=October 29, 2003 |title=Carmen Nakpil: Manila Under the Muslims |url=http://www.newsflash.org/2003/05/ht/ht003845.htm |access-date=5 December 2008 |publisher=Malaya |language=en |via=www.newsflash.org |archive-date=March 4, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304015113/http://www.newsflash.org/2003/05/ht/ht003845.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> and would later become the city of [[Manila|Maynila]]<ref name="GuerreroNakpil2003" /> had an arrogant attitude against Cebuanos and Visayans as the rajah of Maynila who had an Islamic name, [[Rajah Sulayman]], ridiculed the Visayans that came and assisted the Miguel de Legaspi expedition (Which also included the Cebuanos) as an easily conquerable people.<ref name="Scott 1994">{{Cite book |last=Scott |first=William Henry |title=Barangay: Sixteenth Century Philippine Culture and Society |publisher=Ateneo de Manila University Press |year=1994 |isbn=978-971-550-135-4 |location=Quezon City |language=en |author-link=William Henry Scott (historian)}}</ref> Fernao Mendes Pinto, among the earlier Portuguese colonists of Southeast Asia, pointed out that there were Muslims and non-Muslims among the inhabitants of the Philippines who fought each other.<ref name="Pinto">{{Cite book |last=Pinto |first=Fernão Mendes |url=https://archive.org/details/travelsofmendesp0000pint |title=The Travels of Mendes Pinto |publisher=The University of Chicago Press |year=1989 |location=Chicago |isbn=9780226669519 |language=en |translator-last=Catz |translator-first=Rebecca D. |author-link=Fernão Mendes Pinto |orig-year=1578 |url-access=registration}}</ref>

===Legacy===
Indianization, although it was superseded by Hispanization, left markers in the Cebuano language and culture, such as religious practices and common vocabulary words whose origins are from [[Sanskrit]] and [[Tamil language|Tamil]].<ref>{{cite thesis |last=Kuizon |first=Jose G. |year=1962 |title=The Sanskrit loan-words in Cebuano-Bisayan language and the Indian elements to Cebuano-Bisayan culture |publisher=University of San Carlos, Cebu |oclc=3061923}}</ref> There is also genetic evidence of [[South Asia]]n or Indian Hindu influence in Cebu as according to genetic studies, the people of [[Cebu]] and [[Bohol]] have as much as 10-20% of their genetics taken from [[South Asia]]n admixture.<ref>[https://doi.org/10.1038/ejhg.2013.122 Delfin, F., Min-Shan Ko, A., Li, M., Gunnarsdóttir, E. D., Tabbada, K. A., Salvador, J. M., Calacal, G. C., Sagum, M. S., Datar, F. A., Padilla, S. G., De Ungria, M. C. A., & Stoneking, M. (2014). Complete mtDNA genomes of Filipino ethnolinguistic groups: a melting pot of recent and ancient lineages in the Asia-Pacific region. European Journal of Human Genetics, 22(2), 228–237.]</ref>

==Social Hierarchy==
Below the rulers were the [[Timawa]], the feudal warrior class of the ancient Visayan societies of the Philippines who were regarded as higher than the ''[[uripon]]'' (commoners, [[serf]]s, and slaves) but below the ''[[tumao]]'' (royal [[nobility]]) in the social hierarchy. They were roughly similar to the [[Tagalog people|Tagalog]] ''[[Maharlika]]'' class.

==Hindu-Buddhist artifacts==
In 1921, Henry Otley Beyer found a crude Buddhist medallion and a copper statue of a Hindu deity, [[Ganesha]], in ancient sites in [[Puerto Princesa]], Palawan and in Mactan, Cebu.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Churchill |first=Malcolm H. |date=1977 |title=Indian Penetration of Pre-Spanish Philippines: A New Look at the Evidence |url=http://www.asj.upd.edu.ph/mediabox/archive/ASJ-15-1977/francisco-indian-prespanish-philippines.pdf |journal=Asian Studies |language=en |volume=15 |pages=21–45}}</ref> The crudeness of the artifacts indicates they were of local reproduction. The icons were destroyed during World War II. However, black and white photographs of these icons survive.

==Modern name usage==
There have been proposals to rename the current [[Central Visayas]] region, which is dominated by the Cebuano ethnic group, into Sugbu region, the former name of the region prior to Spanish colonization in the 16th century.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-07-15 |title=Change in Name Will be Good for Philippines |url=https://opinion.inquirer.net/95645/change-name-will-good-philippines |website=Inquirer.net |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2017-06-13 |title=Should the Philippines be Renamed? Historian Weighs In |language=en |work=ABS-CBN News |url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/13/17/should-the-philippines-be-renamed-historian-weighs-in}}</ref>

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=}}
; Related to Cebu polity
* [[Singhapala]] – the ancient capital of the polity of Cebu.
* [[Battle of Mactan]]
* [[Lapulapu]]
* [[Timawa]]

; Other related
* [[List of India-related topics in the Philippines]]
* [[Hinduism in the Philippines]]
* [[History of the Philippines (Before 1521)]]
* [[Pintados]]
{{col div end}}

==Notes==
{{reflist}}
* https://web.archive.org/web/20110721110617/http://www.nhi.gov.ph/downloads/mp0073.pdf
{{coord missing|Philippines}}

{{Former and present states in the Philippines}}
{{Historic Filipino monarchs}}
{{Asia in topic|Hinduism in}}
{{India-related topics in Philippines}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cebu (historical polity)}}
[[Category:Former countries in Southeast Asia]]
[[Category:Former countries in Philippine history]]
[[Category:Precolonial barangays]]
[[Category:History of Cebu]]
[[Category:Hindu states]]