Music holds an important role in Native American culture, used for various purposes, including recreation, healing, and expression. Complex and rich with emotion, Native American music is touted as intricate and interesting.
Though Native Americans use various instruments to create music, perhaps the most well-known is the drum.
Native American drums symbolize and express their culture and heritage. Typical of many items in their culture, Native Americans produce their drums by hand from materials found in nature, including non-lumbered wood and animal skin. The drums feature unique images, paint and often gems for color.
The drum beat also holds significance in Native American custom; tribes use drums in daily life and in ceremonies.
Many tribes believe that the beat of the drums represent the unwavering pulse of Mother Earth. Drum beats accompany a song so the dancers can keep the rhythm of the dance. Some of the drum songs are tribal songs that represent different tribes (flag songs); some tested the skill of dancers (contest songs) which get faster and faster and the dancers must keep up with the drumbeats.
From tribal ceremonies and celebrations to spiritual festivals and tribal councils, drums lead the way for expressing their culture and finding close spiritual relationships with the creator and spirits.
Native Americans often use drumbeats to call out to spirits for protection and guidance. They use different types of drums for different purposes and sounds; for example, they fill drums partially with water to produce unique sounds for powwows and used larger drums not only for their deep echo but because many individuals can beat the drum at the same time for important ceremonies.
Explore the authentic Native American mother drums, two-sided drums, tom-toms, and hand drums from Kachina House today! If you have any questions about our drums or other products, feel free to give us a call at 800-304-0547!
what does a rapid speed drum sounds mean In native american
Usually it is an indicator for the dancers to speed up their dance…..faster footwork
how do native American people make their drums?
Spencer: All indigenous people make their drums from locally available materials. There is no one answer to your question.
How does the dancer keep track of multiple drum rhythms in the same song? And how does the listener or dancer interpret the meaning of these simultaneous layered rhythmic intervals in the drums?
The dancer keeps track of the rhythms the same way as anyone who dances to music. Mostly you feel the beat and that is what makes your body move and keep time. The meanings of the layered intervals are personal….it is music.