[SIZE=4]Origins of the name[/SIZE]
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 AD ) 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
chieftain of the region.