Datu Piang

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Datu Piang
Piang Tan / Tan Sim Ping
دات ڤياڠ
大都皮昂
Datu Piang (fourth from left) with American officers, 1899.
Sultan of Mindanao
Reign6 January – December 1899
Born1846
Kuta Watu, Sultanate of Maguindanao
DiedAugust 24, 1933 (aged 86–87)
Cotabato, Insular Government of the Philippine Islands
HouseSultanate of Maguindanao
FatherTuya Tan (陳頓仔, POJ: Tân Tùiⁿ-á)
MotherTiko
ReligionIslam
Datu Piang in 1904

Piang Tan (Maguindanaon pronunciation: [daːtʊ pɪjaːŋ]; 1846–1933) a Maguindanaon-Chinese ruler, popularly known as Datu Piang, is often referred to as the Grand Old Man of Cotabato.[1]

Born of a Hokkien Sangley Chinese merchant named Tuya Tan (陳名頓) from Amoy, China and a Maguindanaon woman identified as "Tiko" (Philippine Hokkien Chinese: 豬哥; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ti-ko; lit. 'Muslim'), he was Datu Utto's Minister of Lands and became the wealthiest and the most prominent datu during the American era.[2][3][4][5] He was a Chinese mestizo[6] due to his Maguindanaon and Hokkien Sangley Chinese admixture.[7][8] Datu Piang (sometimes referred to as Amai Mingka) was recognised as the undisputed Moro leader in Central Mindanao when the United States Army occupied and administered what was then referred to as "Moroland".

Datu Piang's son by his sixth wife, Polindao, was Datu Gumbay Piang, who led the Moro-Bolo Battalion to fight against the Japanese during their occupation of Mindanao in World War II.

History[edit]

Minister of Lands in Buayan[edit]

Datu Piang was the appointed Minister of Lands by Datu Uto of the Sultanate of Buayan. However, according to oral tradition, many of Datu Uto's followers defected him for Piang, as Datu Uto refused to open his granaries to his people during a time of famine. This apparent blunder by Datu Utto helped Piang gain a large following in the Buayan mainland, which eventually culminated into his usurpation of power.[9]

Coup d'etat and the end of Spanish rule[edit]

In January 1899, Datu Piang, accompanied by a thousand warriors betrayed Datu Uto and established his headquarters on the old Buayan capital, now renamed Dulawan, as well as capturing another Buayanen capital of Bacat, forcing Datu Uto to transfer back to Sapakan. On the 6th day of the same month, Piang overthrew the Spanish garrison in Cotabato and Tamontaka and granted himself the title of 'Sultan of Mindanao'. It was after this event that the Spaniards finalized their evacuation from the entirety of Mindanao except for Zamboanga and Jolo. This left Datu Uto frustrated as Datu Piang became a rival of Buayan. Meanwhile, Piang's coup made him the "richest and the most influential Moro in all of Mindanao".[9][10]

American colonial period[edit]

American forces landed on Cotabato in December 1899. Piang greeted American rule and saw it as a means to maintain his power in the Cotabato region. However, in spite of this, the Moro resistance would be organized by Datu Ali of Buayan, but would be fully suppressed by American expeditionary forces in 1905. With Datu Ali gone, Piang has lost any potential local rival that could threaten his authority and would continue to collaborate with the American civil govenrment.[10]

By 1908, Cotabato was reported to be the most peaceful district in the Muslim Philippines, due in large part to the influence of Piang. Piang was also exceptionally responsive to American programs. The great majority of high-ranking datus were deeply distrustful of Western education and when told they must have their sons educated at colonial schools, sent slaves in their place. Piang, however, sent his own sons all the way to Manila to study. He also supported the settlement of Christian immigrants from northern islands and the establishment of agricultural colonies, which began in 1913.[9]

In 1915, with the end of the tribal ward system and the establishment of colonial administration in Mindanao similar to that in the rest of the colony, Datu Piang was appointed as the only Muslim provincial board member for what was now the province of Cotabato. In the following year he was appointed to the National Assembly by the American governor general. These two positions had few formal responsibilities and conferred virtually no legal authority. They were, however, emblems of official American recognition of Piang as the preeminent leader of Cotabato Muslims as well as incentives to assure his continued cooperation with the now expressly stated colonial policy of integrating Muslims into the national political structure.[9]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  • University of California Press. "Muslim Rulers and Rebels," (Accessed on February 25, 2010).[1]
  • "Datu Piang Book Reference," (Accessed on February 25, 2010).[2][3]
  1. ^ The Century. Century Company. 1911. pp. 682–.Josiah Gilbert Holland; Richard Watson Gilder (1911). The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine. Scribner & Company; The Century Company. pp. 682–. Richard Watson Gilder (1911). The Century. Scribner & Company. pp. 682–. Richard Watson Gilder (1911). The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine. Century Company. pp. 682–. Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine ... Scribner & Company. 1911. pp. 682–. The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine. The Century Co. 1911. pp. 682–.
  2. ^ O. W. Wolters (January 1999). History, Culture, and Region in Southeast Asian Perspectives. SEAP Publications. pp. 134–. ISBN 978-0-87727-725-5.
  3. ^ Leo Suryadinata (2011). Migration, Indigenization and Interaction: Chinese Overseas and Globalization. World Scientific. pp. 237–. ISBN 978-981-4365-91-8.
  4. ^ Thomas M. McKenna (August 10, 1998). Muslim Rulers and Rebels: Everyday Politics and Armed Separatism in the Southern Philippines. University of California Press. pp. 91–. ISBN 978-0-520-91964-8.
  5. ^ James R. Arnold (July 26, 2011). The Moro War: How America Battled a Muslim Insurgency in the Philippine Jungle, 1902-1913. Bloomsbury USA. pp. 132–. ISBN 978-1-60819-024-9.
  6. ^ Michael Salman (2001). The Embarrassment of Slavery: Controversies Over Bondage and Nationalism in the American Colonial Philippines. University of California Press. pp. 67–. ISBN 978-0-520-22077-5.
  7. ^ Robert A. Fulton (2007). Moroland, 1899-1906: America's First Attempt to Transform an Islamic Society. Robert Fulton. pp. 61–. ISBN 978-0-9795173-0-3.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ Mark S. Williams (June 20, 2011). Business and Peace: The Case of La Frutera Plantation in Datu Paglas, Maguindanao, Philippines. Universal-Publishers. pp. 42–. ISBN 978-1-61233-758-6.
  9. ^ a b c d McKenna, Thomas M. (2023-09-01). Muslim Rulers and Rebels: Everyday Politics and Armed Separatism in the Southern Philippines. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-91964-8.
  10. ^ a b The Philippine Revolution in Mindanao by Rufus B. Rodríguez


Flag of PhilippinesBiography icon

This Filipino biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Datu_Piang&oldid=1223339539"