The Minangkabau who settled at Negeri Sembilan, in present-day Malaysia at the end of the 17th century ruled by a ""penghulu"" or headman who was chosen from the noble families of Sakai and Jakun called Biduanda. These ""penghulus"", notably that of Sungai Ujong, Jelebu, Johol and Rembau became powerful enough to exalt themselves above other ""penghulus"". These penghulus later acknowledged by the Sultan of the old Johor Empire as a sovereign in their own territory. By the early part of the 18th Century, the leaders of these four territories started calling themselves "Undang".