Borneo Dayak Ritual Festival Mask Bidayuh

Bidayuh Ritual Festival Mask – West Borneo

Rough-hewn yet commanding, this haunting mask from the Bidayuh people of West Borneo pulses with the raw spirit of the jungle and the ancestral world. Carved from light tropical wood, it is both a sacred vessel and a dramatic visage—meant not just to be seen, but to transform its wearer.

A Face Between Worlds
The mask’s hollow eyes stare through time—wide, circular openings bordered by faint red pigment, once vivid in torchlight and ritual fire. A bold, protruding nose juts forward like the beak of a forest creature, while the open mouth, rimmed in faded ochre, bears jagged wooden teeth that seem frozen mid-chant or warning cry. The exaggerated ears, asymmetrically flared, amplify the surreal presence of this otherworldly face.

Worn during ancient festivals and spirit-invoking ceremonies, this mask was not just costume—it was transformation. It allowed the wearer to shed their human skin and become a vessel for ancestral spirits, jungle guardians, or wrathful entities called upon for protection or judgment.

Marks of Power
Traces of black swirling motifs dance across the cheeks and forehead—symbols of spiritual power, tribal identity, and protective energy. These markings, once more vivid, served as talismans as much as decoration, believed to ward off malevolent forces and assert the presence of the divine.

Despite its weathered surface and the softness of its wood, the mask retains a striking vitality. Every curve and chisel mark whispers of ritual songs, trance dances, and nights alive with drumming and firelight.

This is not merely a mask. It is a face carved for the unseen—a raw, spiritual conduit from the heart of Borneo’s forested soul.

H – 25 x 18 x 9 cm / 235 g

Price include shipping by air mail worldwide.

(Stand is for photography purpose only not included)