The Cheteria are a group of royal dignitaries within the

Sultanate of Brunei This article includes a list of successive Islamic states and Muslim dynasties beginning with the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (570–632 CE) and the early Muslim conquests that spread Islam outside of the Arabian Peninsula, and continui ...

whose position ranks below the Royal Wazir but above the Manteri. Each carry specialized tasks and report directly to the

Sultan of Brunei The sultan of Brunei is the monarchical head of state of Brunei and head of government in his capacity as prime minister of Brunei. Since independence from the British in 1984, only one sultan has reigned, though the royal institution dates bac ...

. The Cheteria hierarchy is structured around what is known as the Four Fold system which expands up to 32 folds. The title of Cheteria are only bestowed upon the

Pengiran The Malay language has a complex system of styles, titles and honorifics which are used extensively in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the southern Philippines. Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and several provinces in Indonesia regul ...

, especially to the caste of Pengiran known as the Pengiran Peranakan. The awarding of such titles are held in a ceremony called "mengangkat".

History

The word ''cheteria'' likely derives from the name of the

Kshatriya Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...

warrior caste in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

. These Bruneian traditional officials, who were part of the second class of officials in the country's traditional administration, were crucial to the state's decision-making process. In contrast to the wazir (

vizier A vizier (; ar, وزير, wazīr; fa, وزیر, vazīr), or wazir, is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the near east. The Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was a ...

), who were solely picked from the core

aristocracy Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At t ...

, they were recited from both the core and common

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...

. The Pengiran Shahbandar, or minster of commerce, was the highest-ranking representative in this group. Currently, the Cheteria 4, Cheteria 8, Cheteria 16 and Cheteria 32, which are primarily drawn from Brunei's nobility.

Copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

, and

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

crafts used in royal traditions reveal the identity of the user or owner. Tools like

daggers A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or popular-use def ...

and ''betel''were given to royal dignitaries who received the titles of Wazir, Ceteria, and Manteri, for instance. The ''kaskol'' given to the Wazir and Kepala Ceteria is made of gold. Pehin Dato Perdana Menteri and Pehin Orang Kaya Di-Gadong received a silver-bearing ''tipa'' for the Besar Ceteria, Besar Pengalasan Ceteria, Damit Pengalasan Ceteria, and Manteri-Manteri. While copper-born ''tipa'' was granted for the other people.

Indera

The ruler of the

Hindu gods Hindu deities are the gods and goddesses in Hinduism. The terms and epithets for deities within the diverse traditions of Hinduism vary, and include Deva, Devi, Ishvara, Ishvari, Bhagavān and Bhagavati. The deities of Hinduism have evolved ...

is Indra, the god of heaven, battle, thunder, and storms. Indra means "possessing drops of rain" in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

because indu- means "a drop" and -ra means "possessing."

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

and

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current ...

devotees both adore Indra. In Malay languages, the word ''indera'' is frequently used in that context and has now come to denote

royal Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

Maharaja

The Kushns are thought to have first used the name sometime in the

1st century The 1st century was the century spanning AD 1 ( I) through AD 100 ( C) according to the Julian calendar. It is often written as the or to distinguish it from the 1st century BC (or BCE) which preceded it. The 1st century is considered part o ...

. The

Scythian The Scythians or Scyths, and sometimes also referred to as the Classical Scythians and the Pontic Scythians, were an ancient Eastern * : "In modern scholarship the name 'Sakas' is reserved for the ancient tribes of northern and eastern Centra ...

and

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

- Mongolian

kings Kings or King's may refer to: *Monarchs: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations, with the male being kings *One of several works known as the "Book of Kings": **The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts **The ''Shahnameh'' ...

of northwest

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

had influenced them, and they preferred the title "great king" to "king." The title ''mahrjdhirja'' (great king of kings), which is a Sanskrit translation of the Persian ''shahanshah'', was given to

Chandragupta I Chandragupta I ( Gupta script: ''Cha-ndra-gu-pta'', r. c. 319–335 or 319–350 CE) was a king of the Gupta Empire, who ruled in northern and central India. His title ''Maharajadhiraja'' ("great king of kings") suggests that he was the firs ...

, the third king of the

Gupta era The Gupta era is a historical calendar era that begins from c. 318–319 CE. It was used by the Gupta emperors, as well as their vassals and their successors in present-day northern India and Nepal. It is identical to the Vallabhi era (or Valabh ...

. Other, even more exaggerated titles followed, and at certain points even vassal kings with little possessions were referred to as ''maharajas''.

Hierarchy

There are several levels within the Cheteria group: * Chief Cheteria * Cheteria 4 ** Additional Cheteria Under Cheteria 4 * Cheteria 8 * Cheteria 16 ** Additional Cheteria Under Cheteria 16 * Cheteria 32 The Perdana Cheteria (Chief Cheteria) maintains the highest rank of the Cheteria. In general, however, the number of positions within each Cheteria level follows the number of the level e.g.; the Cheteria 8 would consist of 8 positions and Cheteria 32 of 32 positions. An exception to this would be the Chief Cheteria of which there are two ranks (Head and Vice Head) and the additional Cheteria to Cheteria 4 and 16 of which; there is one additional Cheteria under Cheteria 4 and two additional Cheteria under Cheteria 16.

Title and styling

Every individual who is bestowed with the position of Cheteria are given a unique title and referred to with the honorific style " Yang Amat Mulia" which roughly translates to "The Most Noble" or "

His Highness Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address Your Highness) is a formal style (manner of address), style used to address (in grammatical person, second person) or refer to (in grammatical person, third person) certain members of a reigning or formerl ...

". For example; for someone who is awarded the title of "Pengiran Kesuma Negara" which is a position in the Cheteria 8, would be fully styled as "Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Kesuma Negara", followed by another title (if any) and then real name.

Cheterias

The list of Cheterias is as of 12 May 2023.

External links

Senarai Wazir dan Cheteria di laman BRUNEIresources.com

References

{{reflist Politics of Brunei Lists of Bruneian people Titles in Brunei