05/10/2019
Hudoq: the Spirit of Mahakam Ulu
Mahakam Ulu Regency, East Kalimantan.
Etymology:
Hudoq is a festival in the form of a dance of gratitude performed by the Dayak sub-ethnic group in the province of East Kalimantan. Hudoq means incarnate or becoming, therefore wearing a bird mask symbolizes the dancer becoming a bird.
Belief:
According to the traditional beliefs of the Bahau, Busang, Modang, Ao'heng and Penihing, Hudoq are 13 pests that damage plants such as rats, lions, crows, and others. In the festival Hudoq is symbolized by dancers wearing masks representing pests and vests made of areca nut or banana tree bark. The dance is finished when two Hudoq dancers come out and chase Hudoq pests. Dance duration is between 1 to 5 hours. According to tradition, the hudoq festival is held after each menugal (planting rice) in the fields between September-October every year. The meaning is, asking for God's blessing so that the rice planted later produces grains that multiply to bring prosperity to the community. For generations, the festival is held to move from village to village every year.
Hudoq Dress:
Bahau and Modang hudoq dancers wear carved wooden masks, a combination of images of plant pests and dangerous animals. The entire body of the dancer is covered with clothes made from tree bark, decorated with a banana leaf tassel, and some use coconut leaves. Clothing is equipped with a feathered hat and wooden stick held in the right hand. This dance is usually performed by 11 dancers, each wearing a different mask, performed in a wide and open field. The audience surrounds the performance arena.
Hudoq Dance Movement::The movements of the hands and feet dominate the hudoq dance. The upright dancer's body then continues to spin slowly at each step. Hands sway up to shoulder height, raised as high as possible, then dropped to pat the thigh. Foot movements are pounding: with knees gently bent, feet raised to 30 to 40 cm, then stomped downward to produce a loud noise. When taking a step, the raised leg crosses over the support foot so the body swings left and right. The sound of pounding feet followed by claps of hands to the thighs made the clothes that met reads "whuss ...". Irregular head movements, only in the form of nodding. If the mask has a mouth that can move, each head bowed, the mouth of the mask will be closed with a pluck. The dancers move in a circle, which moves from one corner of the arena to another corner until four corners are touched. Returning to the center of the arena, the dancers sat cross-legged in long rows for the summoning of the spirits, their heads nodded, and prepared if at any time the spirits would possess them. When that happens, they stand up, their bodies trembling in a trance. Then they dance again as before. Finally they returned to the center, the body shook again, and they sat down. That means the spirits have left their bodies.
Ceremony Implementation:
The handler, the leader of the ceremony, begins by announcing the purpose of the ceremony, followed by a request that the spirits enter the dancers. The offerings are prepared, while the handler bememang (chants) the spell in front of the Hudoq dancers who have fully dressed. Eleven dancers sit in a line in the middle of the arena. The handler sprinkles yellow rice on the heads of the dancers as a sign that the ceremony has begun. One by one the dancers stood up and walked slowly according to the tempo of the music. The accompanying music is in the form of a gong and tubun, which is a small drum that can be grasped, covered with a besisi (lizard skin) on one side and tied tightly with rattan. Then the dancers move into the circle, arms waving, body swinging, legs stomping, then back to the middle of the circle where the spirits will enter, after which they dance again. At that time the handler conveys the message to the spirit that controls the dancer by chanting again, which is a long holy chant. The purpose of the mantra is to ask the spirits to look after their plants, keep away harmful pests, and protect the villagers. Then the handler approaches the dancers and appeals to the spirits to return to their respective origin in the forest, mountain, four corners of angina, cave, or other places. The dancers returned to the middle of the arena and were revived by the handlers. After taking off their masks and clothes, they joined the audience. The ceremony ended. However, there are also other procedures for carrying out this ceremony that are not as written above. The ceremony will be finished when two masked human dancers (hunanq punan) suddenly appear and hunt down the eleven dancers out of the village, followed by the audience. This ceremony can last for one hour or even up to a day.
The Festival:
There are two major hudoq festivalls held in the Mahakam Ulu Regency annually,: The Pekayang Festival in Long Lunuk Village, Long Pahangai District and the Cross Border Festival in Ujoh Bilang, capital of Mahakam Ulu Regency.
Photo: Hudoq Dance by and courtesy of encyclopedia.jakarta-tourism.go.id.
Text from various sources (Wikipedia, wwf Indonesia and others.
