Huk Huk - Hamatsa Dance Mask by Simon Dick, Kwakwaka'wakw

Huk Huk - Hamatsa Dance Mask
by Simon Dick, Kwakwaka'wakw First Nation
red cedar, cedar bark, pigment
32” high x 12” wide x 42” deep

Hamatsa is the name of a Kwakwaka'wakw secret society. During the winter months the Kwakwaka'wakw of British Columbia have many ceremonies practiced by different secret societies. According to the German anthropologist Franz Boas, who studied the Kwakwaka'wakw tribe during the late 1880's, there were four main societies: The war society (Winalagalis), the magical society (Matem), the society of the afterlife (Bakwas), and the "cannibal" society (Hamatsa). The Hamatsa society is the most prestigious of all. It is often called a "cannibal" ritual, and some debate has arisen as to whether the Kwakwaka'wakw do or do not practice ritual cannibalism, whether their "cannibalism" is purely symbolic, or actually literal. Because of the secret nature of the society the answer is not forthcoming.

The Myth of Baxbaxwalanuksiwe

Central to the Hamatsa ceremonies is the story of some brothers who got lost on a hunting trip and found a strange house with red smoke emanating from its roof. When they visited the house they found its owner gone, but one of the house posts was a living woman with her legs rooted into the floor, and she warned them about the frightful owner of the house, who was named Baxbaxwalanuksiwe, a man-eating giant with four terrible man-eating birds for his companions (including Gwaxwgwakwalanuksiwe'/man-eating raven; Galuxwadzuwus/ Crooked-Beak of Heaven; and Huxhukw/supernatural crane who cracks skulls of men to suck out their brains). One version of the story describes the giant with mouths all over his body. According to another version, the brothers lured Baxbaxwalanuksiwe into a pit and threw hot stones on top of him until he died. With the death of the giant, the men gained mystical power and supernatural treasures from him. These included wooden whistles, a bear mask, bird masks, costumes and a Hamatsa pole, all used in later actual rituals. 

The Ritual Practice

In practice the Hamatsa initiate, almost always a young man is abducted by members of the Hamatsa society and kept in the forest in a secret location where he is instructed in the mysteries of the society. Then at a winter dance festival to which many clans and neighboring tribes are invited the spirit of the man-eating giant is evoked and the initiate is brought in wearing spruce bows and gnashing his teeth and even biting members of the audience. Many dances ensue, as the tale of Baxbaxwalanuksiwe is recounted, and all of the giant man-eating birds dance around the fire.

Finally the society members succeed in taming the new "cannibal" initiate. In the process of the ceremony, the initiates simulate eating human flesh. Boas describes the hamatsa initiate as eating actual human flesh without chewing. After the ceremony, the initiate is forced to drink large amounts of seawater to induce vomiting, thereby voiding the body of potentially harmful toxins. All persons who were bitten during the proceedings are gifted with expensive presents, and many gifts are given to all of the witnesses who are required to recall through their gifts the honors bestowed on the new initiate and recognize his station within the spiritual community of the clan and tribe.

Born in 1951 of Kwicksutaineuk descent in Alert Bay on the northern tip of Vancouver Island, Simon Dick grew up in the nearby village of Kingcome Inlet where he was immersed in the ancient Kwakwaka'wakw culture. Like his ancestors Simon learned how to hunt and fish and to rely on the natural resources of the land and sea. In this quite culturally intact environment he was raised speaking the Kwakwala language, being taught specific cultural practices from his grandfathers, both hereditary chiefs.

Simon was instructed in the proper protocol for the elaborate winter ceremonies and feasts. One of the earliest memories he recalls is curling up in a massive feast ladle that had been created for a celebration. In order to participate in these important cultural events, Simon was taught the ceremonial songs and dances that have belonged to his family for generations.

As an adolescent, he was initiated into the Hamatsa society, the highest ranking secret society amongst the Kwakwaka'wakw people. Being a Hamatsa, Simon honed his dancing skills and his knowledge of the language and culture by participating in innumerable ceremonies. In 1983 he hosted his inaugural potlatch and in 1989, he spent a significant amount of time further studying the intricacies of the culture and language with the late chief Sam Henderson. Later, he apprenticed under Tony Hunt Sr. for four years and also worked with Bill Reid on the carving of a twenty-four-foot canoe.

Simon has traveled the world representing his people and educating others about the First Nations of the Northwest Coast. At home, he continues the tradition of apprenticing young carvers so that his wealth of cultural knowledge is passed on to the next generation.