Hudoq Mask

In the Dayak Bahau language, hudoq is the generic word for mask, but the objects generally known by collectors as hudoq masks are extraordinary works of ceremonial art.

With few exceptions, the hudoq dance performed by the Dayak Bahau communities throughout the Mahakam (or Mekam in Dayak) river basin is the same; the ritual is usually performed in October and November, the time when rice is planted in the unirrigated rice fields. The hudoq dance was intended to accompany the soul of the paddy on its journey from the house to the rice field.

This annual rite must be performed in the most festive manner possible to ensure that the soul of the paddy will be charmed into staying in the rice field. The Bahau people believe that animals like deer, hogs, monkeys and birds bring paddy from heaven to them, and the masks are designed to reflect these animals in a flamboyant and beautiful style, again for the attraction of the spirits involved.

The hudoq dance is performed every day for seven to ten days ahead of the harvest. Each day a different hudoq dancer will appear. The climax of the hudoq festivity comes on the last day when all the hudoq dancers that have appeared before will reemerge to join each other in a final spectacular ceremony.

Each hudoq dance requires different masks and accessories. In one common ritual, the inheritor of a hudoq will have to harvest one kilogram of paddy from the rice field and keep it inside a piece of bamboo before the rite is performed. The hudoq rite will be performed for this paddy and at the end of the rite, the paddy will be distributed to the entire audience. Later, this stock will be mixed with paddy seedlings that will be planted in the rice fields in the next year in order to ensure a healthy and abundant crop.

Image: Wood, hornbill feathers, textile, fur, metal; 94 x 65 x 71.5cm.