Essay on the Balangay
The Real Story
“In the beginning there was no Philippines, but there was Butuan.” This quote has been repeatedly taught, instilled to the minds of every Butuanon- a bedtime story of a mother to her child, a history lesson of a teacher to her students, and an epic, if not a childhood memory of a grandparent to his or her grandchildren. From generation to generation, stories about the Balangay have been passed on- a large boat, an excavated national treasure. Yet now do we ask ourselves- do we really know the truth about this relic? This historic landmark, pride and past of our city?
Butuan City, called the Home of the Balangays, is said to have existed long before the Philippines was discovered. At those times, Butuanons have already managed to trade with our neighboring countries, the barter system as we call it now. Guangdong, China and Champa (present day Vietnam) are only some of the countries ancient Butuanons traded with. Though our cultures varied, but the nomadic way of life before pushed our ancestors to trade with these nations. Products such as silk, and ceramics from China were traded with spices and gold from the Philippines, for example. In addition, not only trade was the main highlight of those times for even fishing as a main livelihood was existent. Travel and communication was also made possible, given that the Philippines was made up of thousand different islands and accessibility from barangay to barangay across the country was very difficult. Lastly, paramount to the knowledge of our ancestors was how they stayed together as a clan(group of families living as one unit). Our ancestors’ way of life, inevitably, thrived because of their maritime and building abilities- the BALANGAY.
The Balangay, a boat measuring at about 15 meters in length and 3-4 meters in width, was a watercraft used by our early ancestors to sail the vast oceans, trade with other nations, travel, communicate and bring word to other tribes, and most importantly to keep
“In the beginning there was no Philippines, but there was Butuan.” This quote has been repeatedly taught, instilled to the minds of every Butuanon- a bedtime story of a mother to her child, a history lesson of a teacher to her students, and an epic, if not a childhood memory of a grandparent to his or her grandchildren. From generation to generation, stories about the Balangay have been passed on- a large boat, an excavated national treasure. Yet now do we ask ourselves- do we really know the truth about this relic? This historic landmark, pride and past of our city?
Butuan City, called the Home of the Balangays, is said to have existed long before the Philippines was discovered. At those times, Butuanons have already managed to trade with our neighboring countries, the barter system as we call it now. Guangdong, China and Champa (present day Vietnam) are only some of the countries ancient Butuanons traded with. Though our cultures varied, but the nomadic way of life before pushed our ancestors to trade with these nations. Products such as silk, and ceramics from China were traded with spices and gold from the Philippines, for example. In addition, not only trade was the main highlight of those times for even fishing as a main livelihood was existent. Travel and communication was also made possible, given that the Philippines was made up of thousand different islands and accessibility from barangay to barangay across the country was very difficult. Lastly, paramount to the knowledge of our ancestors was how they stayed together as a clan(group of families living as one unit). Our ancestors’ way of life, inevitably, thrived because of their maritime and building abilities- the BALANGAY.
The Balangay, a boat measuring at about 15 meters in length and 3-4 meters in width, was a watercraft used by our early ancestors to sail the vast oceans, trade with other nations, travel, communicate and bring word to other tribes, and most importantly to keep