Native American drums are always played with sticks. And traditionally these sticks were made out of wood. Modern powwow drumsticks are now made with a thin fiberglass rod. The fiberglass flexes with each beat, reducing arm fatigue and allowing the player to drum and sing for hours. They have double-sided heads of hand-sewn deer leather, on a pinstriped stick.

Drumsticks must be made very well to last, and they are labour intensive to produce! We have found a wonderful drumstick maker from Peterborough, Ontario. Let us introduce to you Fabian Southwind, an Ojibway who understands the needs of drummers, as he is a member of Smoketrail Singers. They are firm and longer than average at 22”. We are grateful to Fabian for providing all the powwow drumsticks that we have available to you.