The Srivijaya empire was described as a network or mandala[3] that consisted of settlements, villages, and ports each ruled by a datu that vowed their loyalty (persumpahan) to the central administration of Srivijayan Maharaja.
Unlike the indianized title of raja and maharaja, the term datuk was also found in the Philippines as datu, which suggests its common native Austronesian origin.
In later Mataram Javanese culture, the term kedaton shifted to refer the inner private compound of the keraton, the residential complex of king and royal family.
[5] In Indonesia, datuk refers to honorific title of traditional community, especially among Malay and Minangkabau people.
The title engenders great respect, and is only used for Minangkabau men who have become stakeholders of traditional leaders or penghulu (noblemen) for a particular tribe.
In the tradition of the Toba Batak people, a datu is magician-priest who teach divination and magic via his book the pustaha.