Oral history recounts that the forefathers of the Butbut tribe were originally from a village called Astan but which is now extinct. When the population grew they decided to split and two tribes emerged, the Butbut and Tulgao.
The Butbut people settled in a village now called Butbut Proper. Again increase in population caused them to spread out into four more villages or barangays: Loccong, Ngibat, Buscalan and Bugnay. These barangays form part of the municipality of Tinglayan.
Sometime in the 1970s, because of economic problems, the Butbut began migrating to two municipalities up North: in Tabuk and in Rizal. Since then, eight more Butbut barangays have been established. In spite of this out-migration the Butbut people have maintained their culture, their distinct language, and a strong sense of communal solidarity.
