The National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) – Butuan is one of the regional museums of the NMP, which is an educational, cultural, and scientific institution mandated to protect, preserve, study, and promote the national patrimony and cultural and natural heritage of the country for the benefit of current and future generations.

The museum, covering the Northeastern Mindanao region, is located in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte. It is one of the three museums under the NMP here in Mindanao. The other two are in Zamboanga City and Sulu.    

It promotes cultural heritage and cultural awareness through its exhibitions, assists NMP field personnel in conducting research activities on Archaeology and Ethnology, and provides linkages with the local government units (LGUs) and other stakeholders in the region.

The museum also manages the Butuan Boat Site Museum, the excavation site of Butuan Boat 1 in Barangay Libertad in Butuan City. It has three galleries for Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Ethnology. “Ginikanan/Gigikanan” features the archaeological finds in Butuan; “Panapton sa Lumad: Mga Arte ug Kailhanan” is on Lumad textiles; and “Craft as Women’s Art” features photographs by Mr. George Tapan.

The National Museum in Butuan City was established on August 30, 1978, to safeguard/house and show the public the valuable archaeological finds in Butuan in the 1970s. The NMP-Butuan was established after the accidental discovery of archaeological materials by the City Engineering Office of Butuan City in the 1970s while draining the water confined inside an artificial river system. Succeeding excavations conducted by the NMP yielded tremendous archaeological finds of collectors’ value. The most significant finds were prehistoric Butuan Boats from the 8th to the 10th century, just five kilometers from the City proper.

The NMP conducted scientific research, sending its archaeologists and researchers to Ambangan, Libertad. The museum’s establishment was facilitated through the support of the Butuan Museum Foundation, Inc., which was organized to assist the NMP in safeguarding and preserving the region’s rich cultural heritage.

Then President Ferdinand E. Marcos authorized the release of four units of Marcos-type school buildings. At the same time, the city government donated a two-hectare lot to realize the construction of the building. After 19 months, the formal inauguration finally occurred on August 30, 1978.

The museum initially focused on the archaeological artifacts recovered by the NMP in Butuan City and the material culture of the ethnolinguistic group inhabiting the region. Considering its archaeological importance, in 1980, the Butuan Boat Site Museum was also constructed at Ambangan, Libertad, Butuan City, to house the remains of the ancient boats, Butuan Boat 1, and other artifacts/material culture.