Back to drums

About a week or so ago, someone asked me some drum questions. Some I knew the answer to , and some I did not. I researched, and then wrote on other things, so for a Friday, end of the week blog...back to drums.

The first question was to ask, if it were necessary to have a "real" drum. Well that depends on what you are doing. When you want to use that drum in ceremony, from sweat lodge to pow wow, YES you need a real drum. You can use synthetic for personal use, but anyone who has experienced a beautiful, natural, pow wow drum that was prayed over while it was being made, will never go back to a synthetic drum again. The energy is vastly different. Remember , there is a spirit in that object whether it is a drum, flute, rattle, or bells. The quality of the energy and power of the spirit is very different from something made in a factory by a person who just had a fight with his wife, hates his job or had a flat tire going to work that day, from a drum that is made with love, prayer, and positive thoughts, while Creator guides the maker's hands.

You can journey with a synthetic drum, but you can do a million times better with a natural drum. You also can journey, and some Nations do, with a flute. I remember someone saying once that the flute took away from their journeying time, they needed a drum. The flute is also a journeying instrument.A traditional Native American tool. We aren't in South America or Alaska, so we aren't Shaman, and we don't need a drum to journey. People are so misinformed and misled sometimes.

The synthetic drums put out a lot of noise, but that is what it sounds like after a while to me. They are big vibrations, but so is an earthquake. They seem to scatter the energy, rather than meld it.
All of the "Remo" drum owners are now mad at me, but that is OK. The fact is there is a vast difference. I have seen , and been the victim of "harm" with a synthetic drum, but never with a natural one. Pow wow drums are large and loud sometimes, especially when you have many participants drumming on one, and loud honor beats (we will get to that shortly), making the drum shout. The loudness never makes you want to step away, feel badly, or need a break. It is because it is quality, natural , SPIRITUAL sound.

Another question was about Native American Drums. Native American drums are made by Native Americans. Period. Drums made in the same style by non Natives are Native American Style Drums. It is illegal to call any item or event "Native American" (from drums to flutes to gatherings to jewelry), that was not actually made by, or run by a Native American. Even if it was made exactly like a Native American would have done 200 years ago, you still cannot call it Native American.

A third question was what those really hard drum beats are during a song. They are honor beats. They are meant to put emphasis on a particular word or phrase that is being sung. Sometimes that word  is the word for "Creator" (which will differ of course depending on the Nation's language the song is being sung in). One drummer will do the honor beats, and no it does not hurt the drum. That tough hide can take just about anything. There are ceremonial songs that go with just about everything in NA ceremony. There is a song for everything and the song is an integral and important part of the ceremony. The ceremony should not be done without the proper song, or sometimes even , the proper drum.

The last question asked was, "how difficult is it to make a drum?". It isn't easy, that is for sure, and depending on the type, style and size of the drum, it can be downright difficult. Hollowed out tree branches or logs are easier than beveling sides for a drum, but none of it is easy. It took quite a while to make our drum, and the final lacing of it was filled with prayer and ritual.

Another person who was reading on drums said that it always says in articles, "men drumming". Women drum, don't they?
Yes they do, but traditionally they did not. They kept the drums and the songs in most NA societies, but were not allowed to drum. Women were not allowed to touch sacred items , and this is a blog for a whole other day.

Some pow wows and celebrations will not allow women on drums to this day. Some dancers will not dance if there is a woman on the drum. This is tradition, in many NA nations, but that doesn't mean that women can't drum. Larger traditional pow wows and rituals will not ever have women drummers, keeping that tradition alive. Women did sing however, at least in most societies, but never in the lead. Today there are all women drums, and they are seen at pow wows and ceremony. It just depends on how traditional the event is.Remember that not every NA nation disallowed women drummers.

Many NA cultures believe that a woman brought the drum to the people, and that the spirit in the drum is a woman. The drum must then be treated with the respect and honor you would give a lady, more specifically, a Grandmother.

Same person, different question is "aren't they (natural drums) hard to take care of? Well, yes and no. Anyone who has a natural drum, will most likely treat it as a drum should be treated. It is kept covered , in a space that is reserved for it. It is not tossed in your car trunk. Remember, this is a ceremonial item with a spirit living inside of it. Would you toss Grandma out in the garage after a celebration? Well, maybe some of you would...but the drum is treated reverently. Therefore there are no worries about making sure it always sounds good. The hides will be looser in cool , damp weather, and tighter is sunny , warm weather. When you keep your drum away from humidity, and cold, it will be fine, but you should be doing that anyway. There is nothing else you need to do.
Well made drums do not need to be tightened, or adjusted in any way. They last forever.

The other part of this question was what was the drum made of. Well, wood, and many times that wood is cedar, but not always. Drum makers had their favorites and of course the trees available where the tribe was located dictated the wood type. The same goes for the hides. They are usually elk, deer, and buffalo. Sometimes people use cow, but that is not as popular. Think again, do you want the spirit of a bear in your drum or a cow???

The last question was about group drumming and Native American tradition. No, the Native Americans did not have drum circle night. They didn't sit around and drum for intentions, that is all New Age. Not a bad thing, but not Native American. Also the idea of Shamanic drumming (steady beat with no singing, used for healing or journeying), is NOT a tradition of the US Native Americans. South America, yes, anywhere on US soil besides Alaska and Hawaii, no.  Shamanism is not a belief of the lower 48, there were sometimes medicine men and women, but no shaman. That is a term that has been used generically, but the lower 48 Nations didn't practice Shamanism.
There is also a genre "Neo-Shamanism", that again is New Age, and is a blend of other cultures Shamanistic beliefs, and other New Age practices thrown in, it is FAR from Native American.

There are many types of drum circles out there, but there are no native American ones, there is no such thing. Want to hear NA drumming? Go to a pow wow. Check out pow wow protocol before going. There are also many drum circles that are high energy and have nothing to do with any kind of ritual or tradition, it is just drumming for the absolute fun, thrill, and high energy of it. Matt and I run a circle that combines journeying, and just plain fun. Sometimes we teach songs, and we include flutes, rattles and bells. The other side of things is the pow wow drum , which is a whole other way of doing things.

Treat any pow wow drum that you "meet" with respect. It is a respected family member of the drummers, and holds a powerful. Do not touch the drum unless invited to do so. Do not take pictures of a drum unless you first ask the drum keeper. Do not "party" in any way around the drum, swear, argue, or act up in any way. Treat it with respect and honor. Ask questions of the drum keeper when they are not otherwise occupied and they will answer your questions.

Have a wonderful weekend



Peshaui Wequashimese.



(c)2011 Dr R M Reiter Wolf. May not be used, copied or reproduced without prior written permission.