1. A member of a secret society or ceremonial order of the Kwakwaka'wakw people of the Pacific Northwest, characterized by a dramatic initiation involving a symbolic cannibal dance.
Usage: ethnographic; cultural term; also spelled hamats'a
2. The initiation ceremony or ritual performance associated with this society, featuring masked dancers and elaborate theatrical elements.
Usage: ethnographic; cultural practice

Examples

• The hamatsa ceremony is one of the most important potlatch rituals among the Kwakwaka'wakw.
• A young man undergoing hamatsa initiation would disappear into the forest for several months.
• The hamatsa dancer emerges from the woods in a wild, frenzied state during the performance.
• Anthropologists have documented the hamatsa tradition as a central element of Pacific Northwest Indigenous culture.
• The hamatsa society maintains strict protocols about who may participate in its ceremonies.