Native American drums are one of the most recognized Native American instruments. Drums for hundreds of years have been in the middle of Native American lifestyle. They form the guide of religion and spirituality as well as social gatherings where a pow wow drum is used.
1. Indian people in North America history use drums in various ways to communicate with a higher power known to most as the Great Spirit. To Indian people, Native drums are a lot more than musical instruments or decorations. American Indian drums in a special way, speak to the drummer.
2. Native drums being made in a circle represent the earth and life. The most recognizable being hoop drums and shaman drums which are Indian hand drums used in many personal healing and religious ceremonies as well as public ceremonies such as a Native American powwow.
3. The animal hide that is stretched over the drum ring has unique characteristics of the spirit of the animal and gives a sense of life to the drum when played. Many people think of striking a drum to make a sound, but to Native drummers and those involved in modern drumming groups and drum circles, the desire is to draw out the sound.
4. The beating drum is compared to the beating of a human heart and is said to represent the heart beat of the earth which is a belief that is classic Native American. Drums become the channel to connect the spirit with the earth and the Great Spirit in this way through out the history of American Indians.
5. Native American drums have a beautiful culture and because they are so important they are used in not only music but art and dance as well. Decorating a drum becomes a very personal job to the owner. The Indian drummer is also the artist who communicates expressions of his inner thoughts and beliefs in his Indian art.
6. Some American Indian tribes use animals to decorate their drums and others use geometric patterns and everything in between. In some Native cultures the drummer will place an item of personal value inside the drum to permanently join himself with his hand drum.
7. The unique Native American pictures that the artwork on the drums depict is usually painted with natural earth colors taken from nature. Some are dull and others are bright coming from flowers, roots, berries, bark or herbs that are boiled to release their unique earth tones.
8. Some Native American drums are decorated with iron oxide which is a naturally occurring red rock that can be easily crushed. When mixed with water, it produces a rich orange red dye that is much like paint and is indicative if the surrounding hillsides and rock formations like those of the beautiful Arizona red rock canyons. The region of Sedona is thought to be a special place with spiritual power like the energy created by American Indian drums.
9. The goal of Native American Education except for those Indian boarding schools that have tried to stamp out Native culture has always involved the sharing of beliefs through music, songs, stories and legends. It is in harmony with these methods of learning that the communication and cultural importance has been found in the use of drums.
If you are interested in the spiritual side of life as it is viewed in Indian beliefs, you would benefit from using and playing Native American drums.