Butuan showcases
excavation sites of ‘balangay’
By Mariesh F. Celedeña
BUTUAN CITY (PIA) – The city government of Butuan through the City Tourism and Cultural Affairs Department (CTCAD) spearheaded a one-day learning visit at the excavation sites of the historical Butuan boats known as ‘balangay.’
In collaboration with the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) – Butuan and the Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage Division (MUCHD), the activity aimed to understand the significance of the Butuan boats and the vital role of archaeology in preserving the city’s history and identity as the “home of the balangays.”
Participants from the various learning institutions learned about the methods and processes of archaeological excavation and the importance of archaeology in preserving the city’s heritage. They also had the opportunity to try the excavation/digging tools used in the excavations.
During the visit, the archaeologists also showed to the participants the area where the boats were excavated.
Nero Austero, senior museum researcher, shared that for this year, their focus is looking for the boat number 3. “Based on the literature and other resources, we have various Butuan boats excavated but were reburied. That is why we are looking for them.”
“This visit is very helpful and very different from the other visit I’ve been to. The visit was very detailed and even hands-on” said Annie Dulas, a student participant from Agusan National High School, of this city.
In the 1970s, eleven balangay boats were discovered in Balangay Dig Site located in Libertad Butuan City. Currently, the NMP Butuan together with the MUCHD are conducting excavation of the balangay boats.
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the discovery of a number of plank-built and edge-pegged wooden open water boats (known as balangay) within the same sites where the the various ceramic wares were discovered in Butuan City further attests to the significance of the area to Philippine and Southeast Asian Maritime Silk Roads history.
These discoveries not only proved the boat-building skill and seamanship of early Filipinos but also serve as tangible evidence of Butuan’s rich cultural heritage that links between the past and the present. (MFC, PIA Butuan City)
