Hampatong: "Art from the Rainforest"

Hampatong Pataho

Origin: Bahau clan, Dayak Borneo, Indonesia.

Material: Ironwood

The indigenous peoples of the island of Borneo, collectively known as the Dayak, built large, communal longhouses along the banks of major rivers and tributaries.

To honor the dead and protect the living, the Dayak peoples create a variety of wood figures, known collectively as Hampatong, portraying individual ancestors, animals, supernatural creatures, spirit guardians or nature deities. Large Hampatong, such as the present work, are of two basic types: Tajahan (images commemorating the dead), and Pataho (guardian figures erected to protect the community). 

According to Dayak belief, figurative representations dispelled evil spirits and brought good fortune. Each Hampatong was carved for a specific purpose and personified a particular spirit or deity. 

The spirit of the deceased had to inhabit the Hampatong before it could begin its long and dangerous journey to the next world.

This imposing Hampatong depicts a male Hampatong Pataho portraying a guardian figure. With elegantly elongated torso and teeth bared ferociously, this striking Hampatong has the heart-shaped face, sunken cheeks and bold round eyes typical of Bahau imagery. This figure's elaborate headdress and earrings suggest that it probably represents a deceased person of high rank. The figure is finely carved from a single piece of first quality ironwood and showing a deep yet beautiful erosion from top to bottom due to time spent outdoor planted in the ground.

This figurated post was frequently put at the house entrance to ward off evil spirits and illnesses. It was also placed along paths leading to the houses, or at village boundaries.