Butuan (historical polity)

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 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]

Ancient Butuan But'ban^[1]
Before 1001–1597^[2]^[3]
Map of the Rajahnate 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, other Visayan languages
Religion	Hinduism, Buddhism and animism
Government	Monarchy
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• First historical reference by Song dynasty records	1001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]
Currency	Piloncitos,^[5] barter rings
Succeeded by Captaincy General of the Philippines Cebu
Today part of	Philippines

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

 

An illustration of the Garcinia morella, locally called batuan, one of which might Butuan's name 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]

Historiography

Chinese records

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.^[10] Butuan was described as a Hindu kingdom with a Buddhist monarchy.^[11] The chief (or "king") of Butuan named Kiling^[12] 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.^[11][13] The Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals) of the nearby country of Malaysia refers to the similarly worded Keling as immigrant people from India.^[14] Rajah Kiling's request for diplomatic equality in protocol towards his Rajahnate was later denied by the Chinese Imperial Court, mainly because of favoritism over the Champa civilization.^[15]

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.^[16] 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.^[17] 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,^[18] avenged the invasion of their kingdoms by counter-invading Pon-i (Brunei) and stealing two sacred pearls from Pon-i's rajah.^[19]

Spanish Colonial Period

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.^[20][21]

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.^[22][23][2]

Excavated artifacts

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.^[24] Some of these jars have been dated as follows:

• Sathing Phra (900–1100 AD)
• Haripunjaya (800–900 AD)
• Japanese (12th to 16th centuries AD)^[25]
• Song dynasty (1001–1271)
• Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)
• Ming dynasty (1368–1521)
• Khmer Empire (802–900 AD)
• Sukhothai Kingdom (1300–1400)
• Champa (1000–1200)
• Persian (9th to 10th centuries AD)

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,^[26] Japan, Han Chinese, and Southeast Asian countries during these periods.^[6]

Recorded monarchs

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^[27]	1009^[27]
Sri Bata Shaja	Mission by Likanhsieh (李于燮)	1011^[27]	?
Rajah Siagu^[28]	Blood Pact with Ferdinand Magellan	?	1521
Linampas	Son of Siagu	1521	1567^[29]
Silongan	Ruler of Butuan, converted to Christianity and baptized as Felipe Silongan	1567	1596^[29]

Modern commentary

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.^[30] The relations of the Butuan Rajahnate with other Philippine kingdoms are complicated as they had familial links with both the Cebu Rajahnate and Sulu Sultanate who were in religious opposition. Rajah Siagu of Butuan was a cousin of Rajah Humabon of the Cebu Rajahnate^[32] 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.^[33]

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.^[34]

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."^[35]

See also

• Limasawa
• Agusan image
• Butuanon people
• Indian influences in early Philippine polities

References

1. . Archived from the original on March 24, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
2. Schreurs, Peter (1982). "Four Flags Over Butuan". Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society. 10 (1/2): 26–37. ISSN 0115-0243.
3. ""Butuan City – Historic City and the Home of the Balangays"".
4. Fred S. Cabuang (September 6, 2007). . 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. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
6. . Philippine Almanac. July 14, 2010. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010.
7. "Butuan Archeological Sites". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
8. Lealiz, Sia (February 4, 2009). "Discovering the Ancient Kingdom of Butuan". The Philippine Star. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
9. . Archived from the original on December 30, 2009. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
10. 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).
11. "Cultural and Civilisational Links between India and Southeast Asia" Edited By: Shyam Saran (Page 96).
12. 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.
13. Eric Casino. "The Barangays of Butuan: Lumad Mindanaoans in China and the Sulu Zone". Asia Mindanaw: Dialogue of Peace and Development (2014): 2.
14. "A historical perspective on the word 'Keling'". Retrieved April 24, 2017.
15. Scott, William (1984). Prehispanic Source Materials: For the Study of Philippine History (revised ed.). Quezon City: New Day Publishers. p. 66. ISBN 9711002264.
16. Song Shih Chapter 7 to 8
17. Quanzhou to the Sulu Zone and beyond: Questions Related to the Early Fourteenth Century By: Roderich Ptak. Page 280
18. Scott, William Henry (1994). Barangay: Sixteenth-Century Philippine Culture and Society. Ateneo de Manila University Press. p. 164. ISBN 978-971-550-135-4.
19. Brunei Rediscovered: A Survey of Early Times By Robert Nicholl Page 12, citing: "Groenveldt, Notes Page 112"
20. Valencia, Linda B. . Philippines News Agency. Ops.gov.ph. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved November 12, 2007.
21. Lacuata, Rose Carmelle (August 20, 2020). "Limasawa, Not Butuan: Gov't Historians Affirm Site of 1521 Easter Sunday Mass in PH". ABS-CBN News.
22. Mission, Jesuit Bukidnon. "Jesuit Bukidnon Mission". Jesuit Bukidnon Mission. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
23. Dayon, Rica. "Order of Augustinian Recollects". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
24. Luna, Lillian (2004). MAPEH for Secondary Students. Art Books and History Books. St Bernadette Publications Inc. ISBN 971-621-327-1.
25. Manansala, Paul Kekai (September 5, 2006). "Quests of the Dragon and Bird Clan: Luzon Jars (Glossary)". Quests of the Dragon and Bird Clan. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
26. Quirino, Karl (September 1, 2010). "The Kingdom of Butuan". The Bulwagan Foundation Trust. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
27. 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.
28. Saran, Shyam, ed. (2018). Cultural and Civilisational Links between India and Southeast Asia: Historical and Contemporary Dimensions. Springer. p. 97. ISBN 9789811073175.
29. 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.
30. 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.
31. Sala-Boza, Astrid (2006). "The Genealogy of Hari' Tupas: An Ethnohistory of Chiefly Power and Hierarchy in Sugbu as a Protostate". Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society. 34 (3): 253–311. JSTOR 29792596.
32. The book Aginid recounts the beginning of Cebu as having been founded by Bataugong and Balintawak, supposedly Humabon's great-grandparents. The book further narrates how the descendants of this couple founded their own chiefdoms and the narrative shows that the rulers of Butuan, for instance, were relatives of Humabon.^[31]
33. Scott 1994, p. 164.
34. tech (October 27, 2022). "Bulawan: Early Philippine Gold and Imprints of Hindu-Buddhism". VERA Files. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
35. "The Kingdom of Butuan". Philippine Gold: Treasures of Lost Kingdoms. Asia Society New York. Retrieved March 8, 2019.-Click on the subsection "The Kingdom of Butuan" for exact quotation.-