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). | |||||||||
| Capital | Butuan | ||||||||
| Common languages | Butuanon,[4]Old Malay, otherVisayan languages | ||||||||
| Religion | Hinduism (official),Buddhism andanimism | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | Before 1001 | ||||||||
• First historical reference bySong dynasty records | 1001 | ||||||||
• Blood compact withFerdinand Magellan | 31 March 1521 | ||||||||
• Christianization of the polity under Silongan | 1567 | ||||||||
• Area conquered bySpain | 8 September 1597[2][3] | ||||||||
| Currency | Piloncitos,[5]barter rings | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | Philippines | ||||||||
Butuan, sometimes referred to as theKingdom of Butuan (Filipino:Kaharian ng Butuan;Butuanon:Gingharian hong Butuan;Cebuano:Gingharian sa Butuan;Chinese:蒲端國;pinyin:Púduānguó), was a precolonialBisaya Hindu polity (lungsod) centered around northeasternMindanao island in present-dayButuan,Philippines. It was known for its gold mining, gold jewelry and other wares, and its extensive trade network acrossmaritime Southeast Asia and elsewhere. Over its long history the lungsod had direct trading relationships with the ancient civilizations ofChina,Champa,Đại Việt, Pon-i (Brunei),Srivijaya,Majapahit,Kambuja, and evenPersia as well as areas now comprised inThailand.[6][7]
Thebalangay (large outrigger boats) that have been found along the east and west banks of theLibertad 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 theCaraga region during the precolonial era.[8]
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The nameButuan is believed to have existed long before the Spanishconquistadores arrived in the Philippine archipelago. One possible indication of this is a rhinoceros ivory seal with a design carved in ancient Javanese or earlyKawi script (used around the 10th century CE), which, according to a Dutch scholar, was deciphered asBut-wan. Another account suggests the name derives from the wordbatuan, amangosteen-related fruit common in Mindanao. Another alternative is that the name derives from Datu Bantuan, possibly a formerdatu of the region.[9]
Dr. Henry Otley Beyer meanwhile suggests that the name Butuan came from the root wordbuto (phallus), in connection with the ‘Sivaite goddess’ called theGolden 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
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]: 96–105 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 inSurigao, which included the present site of Barangay Quezon, with scattered river dwellings up to at least what is now the town ofSison. There were bigger hamlets at the Tumanday River, the nearby Lipata and Punta Bilar, as well asDinagat and Nonoc. There were also sparsely populated settlements inPlacer,Gigaquit,Cantilan,Tandag,Hinatuan,Lianga,Lingig,Baganga and at the mouth of the estuary of Butuan.[13]: 43
According toPigafetta in 1521,Rajah Siagu's[Notes 1] territory covered the entire territory of Butuan and Caraga while his brother, Rajah Colambu, was the ruler ofLimasawa.[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, but 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 theManobos,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 wereBizlin, Malubay andLinguingin.[12]: 91
Evidence indicates that Butuan was in contact with theSong dynasty ofChina by at least 1001 AD. Yuan annalSong Shih recorded the first appearance of a Butuan tributary mission (Lijehan李竾罕 and Jiaminan) at theChinese Imperial Court on March 17, 1001, AD.[citation needed] Butuan (orBuotuan蒲端 inMiddle 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 aHindu kingdom in alliance with Cebu.[16] The chief (or "king") of Butuan named Kiling[17] sent an envoy under I-hsu-han with a formalmemorial requesting equal status in court protocol with theChampa envoy. Researcher Eric Casino believes the name Kiling is not of Visayan origin but rather Indian, because Kiling refers to thepeople of India.[16][18] TheSejarah Melayu (Malay Annals) of the nearby country of Malaysia refers to the similarly wordedKeling as immigrant people fromIndia.[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 currentManobo 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 theEmperor Zhenzong by presenting a memorial engraved on a gold tablet, somewhite dragon (bailong白龍)camphor,Moluccan cloves, and aSouth 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 theYuan dynasty. Later, in the 1300s, the Chinese annalNanhai Zhi reported that Brunei invaded or administered the Philippine kingdoms of Butuan,Sulu, andMa-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 ofSulum 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]
During the Magellan Expedition, the first heldCatholic mass was held in the Philippines. The mass was held on 31 March 1521 in the island ofMazaua (Limasawa) under Rajah Kolambu, and was accompanied byRajah Siagu, the Rajah of Butuan at the time.[26][27]
In 1571, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi allotted various lands in the archipelago asencomiendas, 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]
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 withIndia,[33]Japan,Han Chinese, and Southeast Asian countries during these periods.[6]
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. It was clear to the Spaniards that unlike the sultanates ofLanao,Maguindanao andSulu, Islam in Butuan only had a superficial impact.[13]: 43
| Royal title of the reigning rajah | Events | From | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kiling |
| 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 asFelipe Silongan | 1567 | 1596[37] |
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 byAntonio 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 bothCebu andSulu Sultanate who were in religious opposition. Rajah Siagu of Butuan was a cousin ofRajah Humabon of Cebu yet simultaneously to this, Butuan also produced SultanBatarah 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 ofSrivijaya; "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]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)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).
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.
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