Janelle S.

Garcia
WFZ
Ambangan Site, An Evidence of Our Maritime History
I.

Introduction
For centuries, the maritime history of Filipinos has been grounded
merely on historical accounts. Written records of Antonio Pigafetta tell
about the existence of large Philippine sailing and rowing ships The
Alcina manuscript of 1668, an index of life in the archipelago for the
Spanish crown, also included detailed decriptions of the construction and
appearance of the balanghai. (Peralta, 1980) These accounts have
remained as is, until an extraordinary archaeological find in Butuan in
Mindanao (Figure 1) in the 1970s, catching the attention of archaeologists
and the public.

II.

Body
In the middle of the damp marshes of Brgy. Libertad, Butuan, there
lies the Ambangan site. It is the first site of a balanghai, a big boat used by
the early Filipinos in their long sea voyages (Figure 2), that was excavated
in the country. Formerly a river tributary, Ambangan is a muddy open site
with one large trench on the ground.
Excavation work here began in July 1976. The archaeological team
was composed of students and technicians from the National Museum led
by the site director, archaeologist Cecilio G. Salcedo, However, it was the
ones who have originally found the site were treasure hunters. They have
taken with them
After some thorough research and a whole lot of digging in the
mud, in November of the same year, the Balanghai I was successfully
recovered. The boat, measuring more than 30 ft long, and 1.5 m wide has
a carbon dated age of 320 A.D. Only the bottom part was left intact,

including a portion of the prow. The boat was made out of dongon wood
planks which were sewn together by wooden pegs. (Burton, 1977)
Still according to Burtons research, other material evidences were
found. These included perforated rolled pottery definitely used as net
sinkers, a wooden paddle, and remnants of fish hooks. Some pieces of
deteriorating rope were still attached to the stern of the boat.
Moreover, there were Yueh-type ceramic sherds from China (Peralta,
1980). Trading between the Philippines and other countries has been going
on long before the Spanish colonizers arrived.
Another excavation proved that animal bone trading was practiced in
the past. A classicexample of animal and animal bone trading comes
from the 1012thcentury Ambangan sites in Butuan, Mindanao, where a
tiger canine was recovered. (Piper et al., 2007)

III.

Conclusion
All these have provided evidence that our Filipino ancestors were
skilled people, whose society has matured on its own. They were already
capable of building large boats, and trading with nearby countries even before
colonizers came. This tells us that the notion that Filipinos were indios
before the colonization era is one of the greatest fallacies in Philippine history.
The Ambangan excavation site is one of the proofs that a society can
develop, even without the integration of external forces. Had our country not
been invaded, a strong Filipino culture would have flourished, benefitting the
people of the present.

IV.

References

Burton, M. Settlement and burial sites at Suatan, Butuan City: a preliminary report.
(1977).

Philippines:

Ateneo

de

Manila

University.

Retrieved

from

http://www.philippinestudies.net/ojs/index.php/ps/article/view/1686/4644
Cembrano, M. Patterns of the past: the ethno archaeology of Butuan. (1998).
Philippines: The National Museum of the Philippines .
Hontiveros, G. Butuan of a thousand years. (2004). Butuan City, Philippines : Butuan
City Historical & Cultural Foundation.
Peralta, J. Ancient mariners of the Philippines. (1980). Archaeological Institute of
America. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41726497
Piper, P., Janine Ochoa, Helen Lewis, Victor Paz, and Wilfredo P. Ronquillo. The first
evidence for the past presence of the tiger Panthera tigris (L.) on the island
ofPalawan,

Philippines:

Palaeogeography,

Extinction

Palaeoclimatology,

in

an

island

Palaeoecology

population.
264(1),

Retrieved
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031018208002113

(2008).
123127.
from

V.

Figures/Tables

Figure 1. Map of Butuan

Figure 2 Reconstruction of a Balanghai

Figure 3 Ambangan SIte in situ Museum