The immediate royal family of the Visayan "datu" were distinguished from the rest of the "tumao" as the "kadatoan", which was both a political office and a social class. The purity of the lineage of the "kadatoan" was extremely important in claiming the right to rule, thus the "kadatoan" usually only married members of other royal families. The sons and daughters of the "datu" by his first wife were zealously guarded from the rest of the community. The princesses were known as "binokot" (literally "the veiled ones" or "the wrapped ones"), due to the fact that they were usually transported by slaves in covered palanquins. Women of the "kadatoan" class were powerful and revered. The first wife of the "datu" and the "binokot" could command the same number of slaves and dependents.