 Drumming
"There is drumming at a pow wow because drumming helps the dancers dance so the dancers can keep the beat and for other people to notice them. If there were no drummers, the dancers would have nothing to dance to. The drum is also said to carry the heartbeat of Mother Earth who calls the spirits and nations to come together. The pow wow drum is covered with buffalo, deer, or cow hide. A group of 8 or more men form a circle around the drum. They say that a woman brought the Indian people the drum and her spirit lives in the drum so it is to be respected and cared for.
Each dance at the pow wow has a different song and the pace of the song is important for the dancers."
Chaz, Tara and Chelsey- Grade 4 students
 "The Natives used buffalo hide to make the top and the bottom of the drum. The two sides were made for drumming. One side was the female side. One side was the male side.
The female side was louder than the male side because the skin was stronger on the female side than the male side.
The drum was used for ceremonies or pow wows. Every step has to be made every time the stick hits the drum.
Drums are very important to the Natives because they use the drum for the music for the dancers so they can practice for pow wows and dance competitions at teepee Village.
Strips of buffalo hide tie the drum together so the hide won't collapse inside. There is wood underneath the buffalo hide to hold the buffalo hide up on the drum.
The drummer hits near the edge of the drum and the stick collapses the hide on the drum to make it louder.
When we started drumming we had to get used to the beat. You can barely see the stick hitting the drum when you hit it with the drumstick.
The beat of your heart means that you can’t hear your heart when you drum. The drum stands for your heartbeat so you hit the drum like it’s your heart beating."
Katie and Ben - Grade 1/2 students
"I like being a historian. I liked being part of smudging. I liked learning about drumming. You could sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star while Mr. Leo and the kids were doing the drumming."
Lukus - Grade 1 student
 "Your drum shouldn't be drumming harder then this OK, cause this is the main stick right here. That means I'm the lead singer.
That's called the lead OK, now the pickup is the same as the lead." |
