Butuan (historical polity)
Ancient Butuan But'ban [1] | |||||||||||||
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before 989–1521 | |||||||||||||
Capital | Centered in modern Butuan City | ||||||||||||
Common languages | Butuanon,[2] Old Malay, other Visayan languages | ||||||||||||
Religion | Hinduism, Buddhism and Animism | ||||||||||||
Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||
• Established | before 989 | ||||||||||||
• First historical reference by Song dynasty records | 1001 | ||||||||||||
• Integrated into the Spanish Empire after the last known monarch, Rajah Siagu, made a blood compact with Ferdinand Magellan | 1521 | ||||||||||||
• Area conquered by Spain | 1521 | ||||||||||||
Currency | Piloncitos,[3] Barter rings | ||||||||||||
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Today part of | Philippines |
History of the Philippines |
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Timeline |
Archaeology |
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Butuan (also called as Kingdom of Butuan) was a precolonial Philippine polity centered on the northern Mindanao island in the modern city of Butuan in what is now the southern Philippines. It was known for its mining of gold, its gold products and its extensive trade network across the Nusantara area. The kingdom had trading relationships with the ancient civilizations of Japan, China, India, Indonesia, Persia, Cambodia and areas now comprised in Thailand.[4][5]
The balangay (large outrigger boats) that have been found along the east and west banks of the Libertad river (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 pre-colonial era.[6]
Historiography[]
Chinese records[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/East-Hem_1200ad.jpg/200px-East-Hem_1200ad.jpg)
Evidence indicates that Butuan was in contact with the Song dynasty of China by at least 1001 AD. The Chinese 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. Butuan (or "Buotuan" 蒲端 in Middle Chinese) around that time was a gold mining and trading center in northeastern Mindanao, known for manufacturing metal tools and weaponry, musical instruments, and gold jewelry.[7] Chinese Annals described Butuan as a Hindu kingdom with a Buddhist monarchy.[8] The chief (or "king") of Butuan named Kiling[9] 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 Visayan in origin but rather, Indian, because Kiling refers to the people of India.[8][10] The Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals) of the nearby country of Malaysia, refers to the similarly worded Keling as immigrant people from India.[11] 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.[12]
A new rajah with the Indianized name 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 at the eve of an important ceremonial state sacrifice.[13] This display of irreverence sparked interests from China over the polity and the diplomatic relations between the two polities reached its peak during the Yuan dynasty. Later In the 1300s the Chinese annals, 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.[14] Chinese records about the polity stopped after the reign of Rajah Siagu, the last independent Rajah of Butuan. He was formally subjugated into the Spanish Empire after he and his brother, Rajah Kolambu of Limasawa, made a blood compact with Ferdinand Magellan in 1521.
Excavated artifacts[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/be/Butuan_Ivory_Seal.jpg/220px-Butuan_Ivory_Seal.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Butuan_Silver_Paleograph.jpg/200px-Butuan_Silver_Paleograph.jpg)
Numerous jars have been found in the Butuan area that indicate the wealth of the kingdom and the existence of foreign traditions.[15] Some of these jars have been dated as follows:
- Sathing Phra (900–1100 AD)
- Haripunjaya (800–900 AD)
- Japanese (12th to 16th centuries AD)[16]
- 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 Ambangan Archeological Site in Libertad that attest to the historical accounts that Butuan traded with India,[17] Japan, Han Chinese, and Southeast Asian countries during these periods.[4]
Origins of the name[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/K%C3%B6hler%27s_Medizinal-Pflanzen_in_naturgetreuen_Abbildungen_mit_kurz_erl%C3%A4uterndem_Texte_%28Plate_179%29_%288231755755%29.jpg/125px-K%C3%B6hler%27s_Medizinal-Pflanzen_in_naturgetreuen_Abbildungen_mit_kurz_erl%C3%A4uterndem_Texte_%28Plate_179%29_%288231755755%29.jpg)
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 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.[18]
Recorded monarchs[]
The Royal Title of the Reigning Rajah | Events | From | Until |
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Kiling | Mission by Lijehan and Jiaminan (1003) Mission by I-shu-han (李竾罕) (1007) |
1001[19] | 1009[19] |
Sri Bata Shaja | Mission by Likanhsieh (李于燮) | 1011[19] | ? |
Rajah Siagu[20] | Annexation by Ferdinand Magellan | ? | 1521 |
Linampas | son of Siagu | 1521 | 1567[21] |
Silongan | ruler of Butuan, converted to Christianity and baptized as Felipe Silongan | 1567 | 1596[21] |
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. Rajah Siagu was also a cousin of Rajah Humabon of the Cebu Rajahnate, thus suggesting that the two Indianized kingdoms were in an alliance together with Hindu Kutai against the Islamic Sultanates of Maguindanao and Sulu.
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."[22]
See also[]
Pre-colonial history of the Philippines |
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Barangay government |
Ruling class (Maginoo, Tumao): Apo, Datu, Lakan, Panglima, Rajah, Sultan, Thimuay |
Middle class: Timawa, Maharlika |
Serfs, commoners and slaves (Alipin): Aliping namamahay, Alipin sa gigilid, Bulisik, Bulislis, Horohan, Uripon |
States in Luzon |
Caboloan |
Cainta |
Ibalon |
Ma-i |
Rajahnate of Maynila |
Namayan |
Tondo |
States in the Visayas |
Kedatuan of Madja-as |
Kedatuan of Dapitan |
Rajahnate of Cebu |
States in Mindanao |
Rajahnate of Butuan |
Rajahnate of Sanmalan |
Sultanate of Sulu |
Sultanate of Maguindanao |
Sultanates of Lanao |
Key figures |
The book of Maragtas |
Religion in pre-colonial Philippines |
History of the Philippines |
Portal: Philippines |
- Butuan
- Balangay
- Dimasaua
- Agusan image
- Butuanon people
- Indian cultural influences in early Philippine polities
References[]
- ^ "12 Astonishing Artifacts You Didn't Know You Could Find At The National Museum". Filipiknow.net. 5 June 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2018
- ^ Fred S. Cabuang (September 6, 2007). "Saving Butuanon language". Archived from the original on August 30, 2008. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
- ^ Ocampo, Ambeth R. (August 30, 2011). "'Piloncitos' and the 'Philippine golden age'". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
- ^ a b "The Cultural Influences of India, China, Arabia, and Japan". Philippine Almanac. July 14, 2010. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010.
- ^ "Butuan Archeological Sites". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
- ^ Lealiz, Sia (February 4, 2009). "Discovering the Ancient Kingdom of Butuan". The Philippine Star. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
- ^ 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).
- ^ a b "Cultural and Civilisational Links between India and Southeast Asia" Edited By: Shyam Saran (Page 96).
- ^ 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.
- ^ Eric Casino. "The Barangays of Butuan: Lumad Mindanaoans in China and the Sulu Zone". Asia Mindanaw: Dialogue of Peace and Development (2014): 2.
- ^ "A historical perspective on the word 'Keling'". Retrieved 24 April 2017.
- ^ Scott, William (1984). Prehispanic Source Materials: For the Study of Philippine History (revised ed.). Quezon City: New Day Publishers. p. 66. ISBN 9711002264.
- ^ Song Shih Chapter 7 to 8
- ^ Quanzhou to the Sulu Zone and beyond: Questions Related to the Early Fourteenth Century By: Roderich Ptak. Page 280
- ^ Luna, Lillian (2004). MAPEH for Secondary Students. Art Books and History Books. St Bernadette Publications Inc. ISBN 971-621-327-1.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Quirino, Karl (September 1, 2010). "The Kingdom of Butuan". The Bulwagan Foundation Trust. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
- ^ "Historic Butuan". Archived from the original on December 30, 2009. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
- ^ a b c International Studies In the Philippines Mapping New Frontiers In Theory and Practice (Edited By: Frances Antionette Cruz) Page 24.
- ^ "Cultural and Civilisational Links between India and Southeast Asia" Edited By: Shyam Saran (Page 97).
- ^ a b Peter Schreurs, MSC (1989). Caraga Antigua 1521-1910: the Hispanization and Christianization of Agusan, Surigao and East Davao (Thesis). Radboud University and University of San Carlos, Cebu City. p. 113.
- ^ "The Kingdom of Butuan". Philippine Gold: Treasures of Lost Kingdoms. Asia Society New York. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
External links[]
- Former countries in Philippine history
- Barangay states
- Historical regions
- History of the Philippines (900–1565)
- History of Mindanao
- History of Agusan del Norte
- Butuan
- Historical Hindu kingdoms