Hand Drums
Hand Drums
The Native American drums we are offering here are made with steamed white ash frames. They are almost round (because we hand steam them), and made with wild deer and moose hides. Each year during hunting season we gather hides from deer and moose that hunters are eating but don't know what to do with the hide. (these anaimal are not the result of sport hunting) Generally throughout north america hides are thrown in the garbage. We have developed a netword of butchers who put the hides aside for us. We gather them, apply salt to preserve them and then at the end of the season ship them all to a Canadian tannery who processes half into raw hide for our drums and the other half into leather (please visit our leather page). Most of our drums are available in a natural tan colour or beautifully stained using a walnut dye. A maple drumstick is included with each drum.
Bear Grease!!!! (available at the bottom of this page) Care of your drum!!! KEEP YOUR DRUM AWAY FROM THE FIRE OR OTHER HEAT SOURCES!! Our drums do NOT need to be heated up in order to play them....our drums are guarenteed if you find that your drum is flat all the time, call us and we will replace your drum. You do not need to heat up our drums before playing them. The best way to protect your drum is to apply bear grease twice a year. Applying bear great will keep your drum flexible and both resist humidity challenges and prevent against cracking. Hide will dry out over time (just like our skin would) but bear grease is a traditional moisturiser that has been used for ages. The idea place to store your drum is in one of our leather bags OR simply wrapped up in a piece of leather...Although I know it is temping to hang your drum on the wall, traditionally drums are put away and allowed to rest between times when we need them. IF you insist on the wall, hang your drum in an area of the house which has little direct heat. (direct sunlight, radiator, fire place etc all bad) AND BEAR GREASE!!! twice a year!! Feel free to contact us if you have other questions about the care of your drum. Rob
Deer Hand Drums
These drums are our social drums. The deer hide is thinner and open-pored, which creates a loud sound. Deer hand drums are popular with Round Dance, Smoke Dance and Women’s community singing.
Moose & Buffalo Hand Drums
Moose hand drums tend to be used in ceremonies. Moose hide is dense, which creates an intence deep bass sound. Generally moose is so thick that it is only suitable for powwow drums, but because we collect more than 800 hides each fall, we are able to sort and select only the thinnest ones (mostly young or female animals). And so we can offer these rare drums!
These are not exclusively for children, but may be perfect also for the budget-minded!
These are not exclusively for children, but may be perfect also for the budget-minded!
These are our economy drums. Great for younger singers, traveling and tight budget situations. They are also small enough that they won’t go flat in the high humidity of a sweatlodge.
These are our economy drums. Great for younger singers, traveling and tight budget situations. They are also small enough that they won’t go flat in the high humidity of a sweatlodge.
These drums are ideal for round dance, drum circles and performances. However, because of their larger size, they are not their best in high humidity situations and are sure to go flat in a...
These drums are ideal for round dance, drum circles and performances. However, because of their larger size, they are not their best in high humidity situations and are sure to go flat in a...
We designed these drums specifically for the sweatlodge. They are virtually guaranteed not to go flat, even through four rounds in very high humidity! We make them small so they fit easily in...
These drums are energetically and vibrationally significant, and have been used by healers. Historically, they are ceremonial. Medicine people of yesterday and today work with large moose hand...
These drums are energetically and vibrationally significant, and have been used by healers. Historically, they are ceremonial. Medicine people of yesterday and today work with large moose hand...
Buffalo Drum are similar to the healing properties of the moose. I have been told that in ancient times the moose and buffalo were the same animal. Buffalo Drums have a tone which is very intense and moving. The song is full of bass and has many tonalities. Buffalo is very important to the community and are used often in ceremony. We offer these buffalo drums only in natural and they are about 16-17” in diameter.
Bear Grease is a traditional native american medicine. Black Bears have an unusual amount of fat on their bodies because they spend summers building up energy for hibernation. Over the winter Bears survive on this energy through their fat build up. For hunters who are eating the meat, the fat is not generally used. We have asked our network of butchers to carefully harvest and put aside Bear fat for us. As students of our elders we continue to learn the medicinal uses of Bear Grease. As Drum makers we are offering Bear Grease to take care of your drum. Bear grease is a moisturizer and will keep the hide your drum flexible and vibrant. Within the Native American community Bear Grease is used for skin ailments (rashes, sun burns etc), ligament problems, (arthritis, tendonitis, sprains etc) and hair conditioner. None of our Bear Grease contains any preservatives or other additives and must be stored in a fridge or freezer. For price 100 ml $15