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Butuan (historical polity)

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Ancient Butuan
But'ban[1]
Before 1001–1597[2][3]
Map of Butuan in 1521, with Butuan proper (colored dark brown), its controlled territories (brown), and territories under its influence (light brown).
Map of Butuan in 1521, with Butuan proper (colored dark brown), its controlled territories (brown), and territories under its influence (light brown).
CapitalButuan
Common languagesButuanon,[4] Old Malay, other Visayan languages
Religion
Hinduism (official), Buddhism and animism
GovernmentMonarchy
History 
• Established
Before 1001
• First historical reference by Song dynasty records
1001
• Blood compact with Ferdinand Magellan
31 March 1521
• Christianization of the polity under Silongan
1567
• Area conquered by Spain
8 September 1597[2][3]
CurrencyPiloncitos,[5] barter rings
 Succeeded by
Captaincy General of the Philippines
Cebu
Today part ofPhilippines
Part of a series on the
Pre-colonial history of the Philippines
Social classes
Ruling class (Maginoo, Ginu, Tumao)
Middle class
Commoners, serfs, and slaves
  • Aliping namamahay
  • Alipin sa gigilid
  • Bulisik
  • Bulislis
  • Horohan
  • Uripon
Political entities
Luzon
Visayas
Mindanao
Key figures
Primary sources and artifacts
By topic
See also: History of the Philippines

Butuan, also called the Rajahnate of Butuan and the Kingdom of Butuan (Filipino: Kaharian ng Butuan; Butuanon: Gingharian hong Butuan; Cebuano: Gingharian sa Butuan; Chinese: 蒲端國; pinyin: Púduānguó), was a precolonial Bisaya Hindu polity (lungsod) centered around northeastern Mindanao island in present-day Butuan, Philippines. It was known for its gold mining, gold jewelry and other wares, and its extensive trade network across maritime Southeast Asia and elsewhere. Over its long history the lungsod had direct trading relationships with the ancient civilizations of China, Champa, Đại Việt, Pon-i (Brunei), Srivijaya, Majapahit, Kambuja, and even Persia as well as areas now comprised in Thailand.[6][7]

The balangay (large outrigger boats) that have been found along the east and west banks of the Libertad River (the old Agusan River) have revealed much about Butuan's history. As a result, Butuan is considered to have been a major trading port in the Caraga region during the precolonial era.[8]

Etymology

[edit]
An illustration of the Garcinia morella, locally called batuan, which might've been where the name Butuan came from.

The name Butuan is believed to have existed long before the Spanish conquistadores arrived in the Philippine archipelago. One possible indication of this is a rhinoceros ivory seal with a design carved in ancient Javanese or early Kawi script (used around the 10th century CE), which, according to a Dutch scholar, was deciphered as But-wan. Another account suggests the name derives from the word batuan, a mangosteen-related fruit common in Mindanao. Another alternative is that the name derives from Datu Bantuan, possibly a former datu of the region.[9]

Dr. Henry Otley Beyer meanwhile suggests that the name Butuan came from the root word buto (phallus), in connection with the ‘Sivaite goddess’ called the Golden Tara of Agusan, suggesting that the foundation of the settlement have Hindu origins, as well as calling Butuan a “Madjapahit colony”. However, this is still a subject of debate and there are still no definitive answers as to the image or its origins.[10]: 393–400 

Territory

[edit]
See also: Lumad and Caraga

Archaeological studies

[edit]

In an archaeological study from 1975 to 1976 in Suatan, 5 kilometers northwest of the port of Masao, they found a burial site with coffins, as well as a site of habitation. A boat was also found in Sitio Ambangan in Barangay Libertad, which was suspected to be a balanghay. Several porcelain were also found dating from the 14th–16th centuries from the Yuan and Ming dynasties, not only from Suatan and Ambangan, but from other places like Kalot, and Mandakpan. It was suggested that these places were under the jurisdiction of Butuan.[11] Meanwhile, the main capital of Butuan was suggested to be around either the Banza or Baug Rivers, as more archaeological findings in the areas suggested pre-Spanish settlements.[12]: 67 

In other archaeological studies, such as the study of ceramic utensils, brass wares and weapons, there were various settlements located in Surigao, which included the present site of Barangay Quezon, with scattered river dwellings up to at least what is now the town of Sison. There were bigger hamlets at the Tumanday River, the nearby Lipata and Punta Bilar, as well as Dinagat and Nonoc. There were also sparsely populated settlements in Placer, Gigaquit, Cantilan, Tandag, Hinatuan, Lianga, Lingig, Baganga and at the mouth of the estuary of Butuan.[13]: 43 

Spanish accounts

[edit]

According to Pigafetta in 1521, Rajah Siagu's[Notes 1] territory covered the entire territory of Butuan and Caraga while his brother, Rajah Colambu, was the ruler of Limasawa.[13]: 39 [14]: 136–145  To add further, in pre-Spanish times, Caraga or Calaga referred to the area from Surigao to Cantilan.[12]: 62  However, Fernando Almeda (1993) claims that Butuan's control spanned all the way to Davao Oriental. He further specified that:

“It must be assumed, however, that the raiaship during those days were nothing but petty kingdoms claiming over vast tracts of land, of which the ruler only has loose control, and at best, limited to pockets of coastal villages.”[13]: 39 

The hinterlands and the ethnic groups within it, such as the Manobos, Mandayas and other tribes, are also excluded from Butuan's sphere of influence and were often at war with them.[13]: 44–45 

According to Spanish reports from 1573, it was reported that there were several settlements in southern Surigao which owned different kinds of gold with different values. The settlements mentioned were Bizlin, Malubay and Linguingin.[12]: 91 

Historiography

[edit]

Chinese records

[edit]
See also: Hinduism in the Philippines, Religion in pre-colonial Philippines, Indosphere, and Indianisation

Evidence indicates that Butuan was in contact with the Song dynasty of China by at least 1001 AD. Yuan annal Song Shih recorded the first appearance of a Butuan tributary mission (Lijehan 李竾罕 and Jiaminan) at the Chinese Imperial Court on March 17, 1001, AD.[citation needed] Butuan (or Buotuan 蒲端 in Middle Chinese) around that time was a gold mining and trading hub in northeastern Mindanao, known for manufacturing metal tools and weaponry, musical instruments, and gold jewelry.[15]

Butuan was described as a Hindu kingdom in alliance with Cebu.[16] The chief (or "king") of Butuan named Kiling[17] sent an envoy under I-hsu-han with a formal memorial requesting equal status in court protocol with the Champa envoy. Researcher Eric Casino believes the name Kiling is not of Visayan origin but rather Indian, because Kiling refers to the people of India.[16][18] The Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals) of the nearby country of Malaysia refers to the similarly worded Keling as immigrant people from India.[19] Rajah Kiling's request for diplomatic equality in protocol towards his kingdom was later denied by the Chinese Imperial Court, mainly because of favoritism over the Champa civilization.[20] Furthermore, a genetic study of the current Manobo people which inhabit Agusan and Caraga region where Butuan is at show that the ethnic group has 30% South Asian ancestry.[21]

A new rajah named Sri Bata Shaja later succeeded in attaining diplomatic equality with Champa by sending the flamboyant ambassador Likanhsieh. Likanhsieh shocked the Emperor Zhenzong by presenting a memorial engraved on a gold tablet, some white dragon (bailong 白龍) camphor, Moluccan cloves, and a South Sea slave on the eve of an important ceremonial state sacrifice.[22] This display of irreverence sparked interest from China, and diplomatic relations between the two polities reached their peak during the Yuan dynasty. Later, in the 1300s, the Chinese annal Nanhai Zhi reported that Brunei invaded or administered the Philippine kingdoms of Butuan, Sulu, and Ma-i (Mindoro), which would regain their independence at a later date.[23] After simultaneously regaining their independence together with their Butuanon cousins, the then Hindu state of Sulum which was founded by Visayan immigrants from Butuan and Surigao to the Sulu Archipelago,[24] avenged the invasion of their kingdoms by counter-invading Pon-i (Brunei) and stealing two sacred pearls from Pon-i's rajah.[25]

Spanish colonial period

[edit]

During the Magellan Expedition, the first held Catholic mass was held in the Philippines. The mass was held on 31 March 1521 in the island of Mazaua (Limasawa) under Rajah Kolambu, and was accompanied by Rajah Siagu, the Rajah of Butuan at the time.[26][27]

In 1571, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi allotted various lands in the archipelago as encomiendas, which included the lands of Butuan, Surigao and Caraga,[28]: 307  but total incorporation of Butuanons did not happen until the efforts of Jesuit missionaries to convert the people to Christianity.

In 1596, the Spanish Catholic mission headed by the Jesuits under Fr. Valerio de Ledesma began in Butuan to establish a Spanish foothold in Mindanao to combat the rising threat of Moros. On 8 September 1597, the first church was eventually inaugurated in Butuan, subjugating Butuan under Spanish rule. The Augustinian Recollects eventually replaced the Jesuits.[29][30][2]

Excavated artifacts

[edit]
Further information: Butuan Ivory Seal and Butuan Silver Paleograph
The Butuan Ivory Seal, displayed at the National Museum of the Philippines. The Kawi script lettering says "But-wan", and the smaller lettering (similar to Baybayin) says "Bu-wa" (the diacritics for "Wan/Ban" in Kawi and "Bu/Ba" in the smaller letters have worn off)
A silver strip excavated from the 1970s in Butuan was inside a wooden coffin. The characters display a Hindu-Buddhist influence, probably a form of early writing in the Philippines (c. 14th–15th century).

Numerous jars have been found in the Butuan area that indicate the wealth of the kingdom and the existence of foreign traditions.[31] Some of these jars have been dated as follows:

Artifacts have been recovered from within the vicinities of the Ambangan Archeological Site in Libertad that attest to the historical accounts that Butuan traded with India,[33] Japan, Han Chinese, and Southeast Asian countries during these periods.[6]

Religion

[edit]

It is well known that Butuan in its early period was under the influence of Hinduism and Buddhism, especially with the discovery of the Golden Image found at the Wawa River. According to Beyer (1947), that “the non-Mohammedan king was apparently a survival from the old Madjapahit colony of a century earlier”.[34]: 393  However, by the time of Antonio Pigafetta, the Spaniards discovered that Butuan was undergoing an Islamization phase, with its natives worshipping ‘Abba’ (Allah), but regardless ate pork. Unlike the sultanates of Lanao, Maguindanao and Sulu however, Islam in Butuan only had a superficial impact.[13]: 43 

Recorded monarchs

[edit]
Royal title of the reigning rajah Events From Until
Kiling
  • Mission by Lijehan and Jiaminan (1003)
  • Mission by I-shu-han (李竾罕) (1007)
 1001[35] 1009[35]
Sri Bata Shaja Mission by Likanhsieh (李于燮) 1011[35] ?
Rajah Siagu[36] Blood Pact with Ferdinand Magellan ? 1521
Linampas Son of Siagu 1521 1567[37]
Silongan Ruler of Butuan, converted to Christianity and baptized as Felipe Silongan 1567 1596[37]

Modern commentary

[edit]

Spanish chroniclers, when they set foot on Butuan, remarked that gold was so abundant that even houses were decorated with gold; "Pieces of gold, the size of walnuts and eggs are found by sifting the earth in the island of that king who came to our ships. All the dishes of that king are of gold and also some portion of his house as we were told by that king himself ... He had a covering of silk on his head, and wore two large golden earrings fastened in his ears ... At his side hung a dagger, the haft of which was somewhat long and all of gold, and its scabbard of carved wood. He had three spots of gold on every tooth, and his teeth appeared as if bound with gold." As written by Antonio Pigafetta on Rajah Siagu of Butuan during Magellan's voyage.[38] The relations of Butuan with other Philippine kingdoms are complicated as they had familial links with both Cebu and Sulu Sultanate who were in religious opposition. Rajah Siagu of Butuan was a cousin of Rajah Humabon of Cebu yet simultaneously to this, Butuan also produced Sultan Batarah Shah Tengah, of Sulu who ruled as sultan in 1600, that was said to be an actual native of Butuan.[39]

Ancient Butuan used gold in religious images and royal items like crowns, headbands, necklaces, sashes, waistbands, ear ornaments, and bracelets. It was also used in funerals as a death mask, and as a cover for the dead person's eyes, nose, and mouth.[40]

Butuan was so rich in treasures that a museum curator, Florina H. Capistrano-Baker, stated that it was even richer than the more well-known western maritime kingdom of Srivijaya; "The astonishing quantities and impressive quality of gold treasures recovered in Butuan suggest that its flourishing port settlement played an until recently little-recognized role in early Southeast Asian trade. Surprisingly, the amount of gold discovered in Butuan far exceeds that found in Sumatra, where the much better known flourishing kingdom of Srivijaya is said to have been located."[41]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Rajah Siagu was also called Rajah Siawi.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 24, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ a b Schreurs, Peter (1982). "Four Flags Over Butuan". Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society. 10 (1/2): 26–37. ISSN 0115-0243. JSTOR 29791752. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  3. ^ ""Butuan City – Historic City and the Home of the Balangays"".
  4. ^ Fred S. Cabuang (September 6, 2007). "Saving Butuanon language". Archived from the original on August 30, 2008. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
  5. ^ Ocampo, Ambeth R. (August 30, 2011). "'Piloncitos' and the 'Philippine golden age'". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "The Cultural Influences of India, China, Arabia, and Japan". Philippine Almanac. July 14, 2010. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010.
  7. ^ "Butuan Archeological Sites". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  8. ^ Lealiz, Sia (February 4, 2009). "Discovering the Ancient Kingdom of Butuan". The Philippine Star. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
  9. ^ "Historic Butuan". Archived from the original on December 30, 2009. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
  10. ^ Francisco, Juan R. (1963). "A Note on the Golden Image of Agusan". Philippine Studies. 11 (3): 390–400. ISSN 0031-7837. JSTOR 42719871.
  11. ^ Burton, Linda M. (1977). "Settlement and Burial Sites in Butuan City: A Preliminary Report". Philippine Studies. 25 (1): 95–112. ISSN 0031-7837. JSTOR 42632370.
  12. ^ a b c Schreurs, Peter (2000). Caraga Antigua, 1521-1910: The Hispanization and Christianization of Agusan, Surigao, and East Davao. Republic of the Philippines, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, National Historical Institute. ISBN 978-971-538-114-7.
  13. ^ a b c d e Almeda, Fernando A. (1993). Surigao Across the Years: Story of a Province. Philippine National Historical Society. ISBN 978-971-8851-01-2.
  14. ^ Nowell, C. E. (1962). "Antonio Pigafetta's account". Magellan's Voyage Around the World. Evanston: Northwestern University Press. hdl:2027/mdp.39015008001532. OCLC 347382.
  15. ^ Abinales, Patricio N.; Amoroso, Donna J. (2005). State and Society in the Philippines. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 36. ISBN 9780742568723. Another Philippine place name appearing in Sung trade records is that of Butuan, a gold mining and trading center in northeastern Mindanao that sent its first tribute mission to China in 1001. From the tenth to the thirteenth centuries, Butuan was known for manufacturing metal tools and weaponry (blades, knives, and projectiles), musical instruments (bells, cymbals, and gongs), and gold jewelry (earrings, buckles, and rings).
  16. ^ a b "Cultural and Civilisational Links between India and Southeast Asia" Edited By: Shyam Saran (Page 96).
  17. ^ Scott, William Henry (1989). Filipinos in China before 1500. China Studies Program, De La Salle University. OCLC 22641804. Butuan seems to have attracted some notoriety. For four years, its King Kiling (Ch'i-ling) sent missions every year: on 3 October 1003, for example, Minister Lijihan and Assistant Minister Gaminan presented red parrots in addition to the usual native products like tortoise shell.
  18. ^ Eric Casino. "The Barangays of Butuan: Lumad Mindanaoans in China and the Sulu Zone". Asia Mindanaw: Dialogue of Peace and Development (2014): 2.
  19. ^ "A historical perspective on the word 'Keling'". Archived from the original on April 21, 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  20. ^ Scott, William (1984). Prehispanic Source Materials: For the Study of Philippine History (revised ed.). Quezon City: New Day Publishers. p. 66. ISBN 9711002264.
  21. ^ Larena, Maximilian; et al. (March 30, 2021). "Larena, M., Sanchez-Quinto, F., Sjödin, P., McKenna, J., Ebeo, C., Reyes, R., Casel, O., Huang, J. Y., Hagada, K. P., Guilay, D., Reyes, J., Allian, F. P., Mori, V., Azarcon, L. S., Manera, A., Terando, C., Jamero, L., Sireg, G., Manginsay-Tremedal, R., … Jakobsson, M. (2021). Multiple migrations to the Philippines during the last 50,000 years. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(13), e2026132118". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 118 (13): e2026132118. doi:10.1073/pnas.2026132118. PMC 8020671. PMID 33753512.
  22. ^ Song Shih Chapter 7 to 8
  23. ^ Quanzhou to the Sulu Zone and beyond: Questions Related to the Early Fourteenth Century Archived December 3, 2022, at the Wayback Machine By: Roderich Ptak. Page 280
  24. ^ Scott, William Henry (1994). Barangay: Sixteenth-Century Philippine Culture and Society. Ateneo de Manila University Press. p. 164. ISBN 978-971-550-135-4.
  25. ^ Brunei Rediscovered: A Survey of Early Times By Robert Nicholl Page 12, citing: "Groenveldt, Notes Page 112"
  26. ^ Valencia, Linda B. "Limasawa: Site of the First Mass". Philippines News Agency. Ops.gov.ph. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved November 12, 2007.
  27. ^ Lacuata, Rose Carmelle (August 20, 2020). "Limasawa, Not Butuan: Gov't Historians Affirm Site of 1521 Easter Sunday Mass in PH". ABS-CBN News.
  28. ^ Blair, Emma Helen; Robertson, James Alexander (1906). "The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898: explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century, Volume XXXIV, 1519–1522; 1280–1605". www.gutenberg.org/files/47927/47927-h/47927-h.htm. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  29. ^ Mission, Jesuit Bukidnon. "Jesuit Bukidnon Mission". Jesuit Bukidnon Mission. Archived from the original on February 21, 2024. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  30. ^ Dayon, Rica. "Order of Augustinian Recollects". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  31. ^ Luna, Lillian (2004). MAPEH for Secondary Students. Art Books and History Books. St Bernadette Publications Inc. ISBN 971-621-327-1.
  32. ^ Manansala, Paul Kekai (September 5, 2006). "Quests of the Dragon and Bird Clan: Luzon Jars (Glossary)". Quests of the Dragon and Bird Clan. Archived from the original on January 19, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  33. ^ Quirino, Karl (September 1, 2010). "The Kingdom of Butuan". The Bulwagan Foundation Trust. Archived from the original on November 9, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  34. ^ Francisco, Juan R. (1963). "A Note on the Golden Image of Agusan". Philippine Studies. 11 (3): 390–400. ISSN 0031-7837. JSTOR 42719871.
  35. ^ a b c Cruz, Frances Antoinette; Adiong, Nassef Manabilang, eds. (2020). International Studies in the Philippines: Mapping New Frontiers in Theory and Practice. International Relations in Southeast Asia (illustrated ed.). Routledge. p. 24. ISBN 9780429509391.
  36. ^ Saran, Shyam, ed. (2018). Cultural and Civilisational Links between India and Southeast Asia: Historical and Contemporary Dimensions. Springer. p. 97. ISBN 9789811073175.
  37. ^ a b Schreurs, Peter (1989). Caraga Antigua 1521–1910: the Hispanization and Christianization of Agusan, Surigao and East Davao (MSc thesis). Cebu City: Radboud University and University of San Carlos. p. 113.
  38. ^ Pigafetta, Antonio (2007). The First Voyage Around the World, 1519-1522: An Account of Magellan's Expedition. University of Toronto Press. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-8020-9370-7.
  39. ^ Scott 1994, p. 164.
  40. ^ tech (October 27, 2022). "Bulawan: Early Philippine Gold and Imprints of Hindu-Buddhism". VERA Files. Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  41. ^ "The Kingdom of Butuan". Philippine Gold: Treasures of Lost Kingdoms. Asia Society New York. Archived from the original on June 30, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2019.-Click on the subsection "The Kingdom of Butuan" for exact quotation.-
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