Right now, it’s ceremonial season, and the drums are silent, at least for the rest of the world. Come summer, though, it will be powwow season once again, and in the weeks leading up to its start, members of local drum groups will begin practicing again.
A full-sized powwow drum, of course, is enormous, in both senses of the word: It needs to be large enough to accommodate a large group of players, all sitting around it in a circle, each striking it simultaneously with a beater; and it must create a sound that is so deep and rich that it strikes chords in the listener’s very heart and soul, to the farthest reaches of the powwow grounds or arena and beyond.
But there are powwow-style drums that are used for smaller gatherings and events, too, and even smaller versions of those drums meant to be used individually. These are the sort that we carry in our inventory — modest in size but large in sound, and meant to be used by a single person or, in a few cases, a very, very small group.
Traditional Pueblo drums are specialized in design, with certain characteristics that appear with relative uniformity across the style, yet simultaneously ensure that each drum retains its own unique look and identity and sound. Drums made by members of some other indigenous cultures are similar; others are widely variable. But for someone looking for a genuine Pueblo drum, made the old way, there are certain identifying hallmarks.
Unlike hand drums, the kind of drums featured here today are dual-sided, with the hide stretched across both the top and bottom of the wood frame. Either side may be used as a drumming surface, but thanks to the natural materials and hand-made construction, the sound each side produces will vary at least a bit in pitch and resonance. This is not in any way undesirable; indeed, it simply doubles the options for the drum’s sound.
The hide itself varies by maker; some specialize, while others stick to a favored animal hide. Deer and elk hides are popular, and easy to use; they tend to be thinner and more flexible. Some artisans use buffalo hide, but heavy hides require extra tanning for workability. The weight and thickness of the hide will also affect sound, so before deciding that you want a drum made with the hide of a particular animal, it’s best to try out different options first to see which best produces the sound that speaks most deeply to you.
The hides are stretched over the two surfaces of the drum and threaded with sinew, a material that has been used for such purposes (and many others) since time immemorial. It takes a great deal of strength and skill to do it properly; the strands must be pulled very, very tightly, not only to hold the hides securely, but to ensure that they produce the best sound. Wider strips of sinew are threaded through a pair of holes at top and bottom and spiraled around to form tight, solid handles, and a smaller strip is used to create a loop to hold the beater when not in use.
Truly traditional drum makers also adhere to another practice: They make the drum itself out of the trunk of a tree, hollowed out and unbroken. This means that, unlike with many other types of Native drums (including most hand drums), there are no fitted pieces in the frame — indeed, it’s not really precisely a “frame” at all, with the fitted nature that the word implies, but a body. It makes for a different sound, even in the smaller drums, and it has one other benefit that I find especially beautiful: It allows the tree that provided the body a voice. What you see, when you look at one of these drums, is a segment of a tree’s actual trunk, its own body, with all of the angles and variable surface (and sometimes even natural branch handles) that were a part of the tree in its natural state. They’re hollowed out, the exterior stripped of bark, and the surface lightly sanded, of course, but it’s one of the few instances where the tree that provided the gift of sound is allowed to sing in its own voice, in a manner of speaking.
Earlier, I referred to these drums as “small.” When talking about these sorts of traditional instruments, the word “small” is relative, of course: The one shown in the photo above is about as “small” as it gets for such purposes, and it stands more than fifteen inches high. The one shown below is more than twenty-one inches high, and it is probably of mid-range height, as individual traditional drums go.
In the abstract, of course, the drum itself has been a means of expression, a voice, of our peoples and cultures since time immemorial, too. It’s an integral part of the lifeways of many (most? today, all?) of our various nations. It’s intertribal communication and expression; it’s the voice of our ancestors; it’s a song to the spirits; it’s the heartbeat of our peoples, our cultures, of Mother Earth herself.
The Pueblo drum honors and celebrates that expression, that voice, that song, that heartbeat, all in an ancient, natural, wholly traditional way.
~ Aji
Note: These two drums and their descriptions are not yet posted in the Other Artists: Drums gallery; I’ll have them uploaded soon. Both are made by hand by Lee Lujan, one of Taos Pueblo’s masters. The smaller drum is $210 + shipping, handling, and insurance; the large one is $495 + shipping, handling, and insurance (both require special handling due to size and weight; additional charges apply). Each comes with a traditional beater like the one pictured.
All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owners.
