Butuan Wooden Coffins
The National Museum of the Philippines features archaeological objects and sites to focus on the country’s deep-rooted maritime past and heritage. The Museum is highlighting the wooden coffin burials from Butuan City, Agusan del Norte in northeastern Mindanao.
In 1976, wooden coffins have been reportedly found near the site of the first excavated Butuan (Balanghai) boat. The following year, a total of 12 coffins were recovered along with the associated grave artifacts.
Did you know that interring the remains in boat-shaped coffins is a tradition shared by early Southeast Asian cultures, including the Philippines? The country has several archaeological sites dating back to the 12th to 15th centuries with evidence of such precolonial burial practices, one of which was previously featured here: //tinyurl.com/BantonBoatCoffin.
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