Thus
• The cultural and geographic environment of Southeast Asia
had a fundamental influence on the manner in which the
polities of the region developed. Confederations of
communities which saw themselves as equivalent were
found in many parts of Southeast Asia
• Relations between leaders and followers mirrored the
obligations of relatives.
• Like a parent, the overlord should give protection,
assistance and occasionally a stern rebuke; in return, the
vassal/child should return loyalty, respect and service.
• The ideal of personal and continuing reciprocity which grew
out of concepts of kinship lay at the heart of the Southeast
Asian polity, and it could well be argued that whatever
'structure' can be discerned in most early kingdoms was
ultimately based on the bonds of family.