Saturday we went to a drum making workshop. No, this wasn't a crafty kind of thing as much as a spiritual type of thing. Intensely spiritual as a matter of fact. Also as a matter of fact (fact usually something not strictly adhered to around these here blog parts but there's a first time for everything!) we did not even start making our drum until 1:00 pm and the workshop started at 10:00 am. From 10 - 1 we smudged and talked about drumming and we meditated and made prayer bundles to help send the energy into our drum and then we had lunch.After that we made drums. This is hard work people. The drums are made of deer hide and you have to stretch them. I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Deer are tougher than they look.
You have to stretch the h
ide so it fits tightly over the frame and then you have to put stitches through the holes in the hide you have punched. It's like lacing the Green Giant's boot. That's how long it takes. And after that you have to tighten it while on the frame by pulling the stitches until there is very little play in it at all. That is very hard work. We're talking sweating here. We're talking back breaking aching everything here. Then you have to form straps on the back also from deer hide cut in strips.
And then it's done. Then you can tie your prayer bundles on the back your drum and when no one's looking you tell your drum you're sorry that you got a little frustrated while lacing it but explaining about the bad back and the menopausal sweating and of course the drum forgives you because you are his mother and he has to love you regardless of your daily hormone mix. At this point the drum is still wet and will be for a while - it must dry for a few days and tighten even more, but the drums are finished.Yes, on the sixth day, Dave and Janine created drums. And it was good.
Canadians are strange.
ReplyDeleteActually, the drums are kind of cool. Do you play them? I bet your neighbors LOVE that.