Butuan ~ The Golden History

The name Butuan already existed long before the Spanish conquistadores arrived in the Philippine archipelago. Once an ancient kingdom by the river, is reportedly the site of the oldest civilized settlement in the Philippines. Its history, culture, arts and people dates back to as early as 4th century AD as showcased in its museums and archeological sites.

As early as 1001 AD, Butuan was already in contact with China. The Chinese Soong Shih has recorded the first appearance of the Butuan Tributary mission at Chinese Imperial Court on 17 March 1001 AD and described Butuan “..(P’u-tuan) as a small country in the sea that had a regular connection with Champa …” (a kingdom in Central Vietnam) and intermittent contact with China.

According to the Chinese Soong Shi, the people of Butuan have already established trading relationswith the Kingdom of Champa in the 10th century and later made Butuan the center of trade and commerce in the Philippines in the 11th century. This is proven by evidence of the discovery of the nine balangays - (The Butuan Boat) and the discoveries of other archeological facts like death masks, Chinese porcelain, weighing scale, gold and jewelries found in Ambangan, Libertad near the old El Rio de Butuan and Masao River.

Butuan Balanghai Boat  and The  Golden Image of Butuan (Golden Tara)

The Butuan Boat, wooden boats excavated and dated to as early as 320 AD, reveals that the ancient Philippine maritime technology predated European boat construction. Called Balangay, these boats are evidence that early man in the Philippines was seafaring and was relatively technologically advanced. Of the nine boats that are known to exist, three have been excavated so far.

Other evidences that support Butuan’s postion in the ancient Asian trade are the numerous jars/artifacts [Chinese (tenth to fifteenth centuries AD)… Khmer/Cambodian (ninth to tenth centuries AD)… Thai (fourteenth to fifteenth centuries AD)… Pre-Thai Satingpra (900-1100 AD)… and Haripunjaya (800-900 AD)… pre-trade Vietnamese (eleventh to thirteenth centuries AD)… and Persian (ninth to tenth centuries AD)] dug within the vicinities of Ambangan, Archeological Site, in Libertad well attest to the historical account that Butuan traded with the Chinese and Southeast Asia countries in the past.

Butuan Golden Mask and ancient jewelries

Explore Butuan’s Gilded Glorious History at  www.butuantoday.tumblr.com