Native American Drum Music

It is a belief of the native Americans, who are also supposed to be followers of paganism, that drum is the heartbeat of the mother Earth. They have the faith that drums are way to bring things back into balance. Drum music is an inevitable part of their celebrations, joys, sorrows and all the major events in their lives. Here is a brief lowdown on native American drum music.

Drums are used in many ceremonies and rituals in the native American culture. Some prominent types of native American drums are -

Hoops Drums
These are perfect for healing, and are used in drum circles in both, the personal and the ceremonial rituals. Hoops drums are mostly handheld and the bigger their diameters, the deeper are the tones produced. In the native American culture the drums are very artistically painted and exquisitely hand made, by using buffalo hide, goat skin and other natural materials.

Shamanic Drums
Shamanism is a set of practices, that pertain to the communication with the world of 'spirits'. There are specific drums used for rituals performed by shamans, by those who practice shamanism. Under those who practice shamanism, there is a North America tribe, called the Lakota. Infact, there is a type of drum called the Lakota drum, which is named after this tribe. It is believed that drums help the shamans to achieve an altered state of consciousness. It is crucial to the extent that it is often called as the rainbow bridge to another world. A typical shaman drum has a metallic object hanging inside, held into its place by a wooden cross-piece. That cross piece may also rattle and is played using a special beater. A portable drum suits shamanic rituals the best, as it is accompanied by a lot of actions and performance.

Pow Wow Drums
The pow wow is basically a very important ritual amongst the Native Americans. The pow wow is a big event and pertains to a gathering of the native Americans. There is a proper drumming group for a pow wow, with a host drum and other side drums. Host drums form the base of the songs. Then, there is a host northern and host southern drum. A pow wow drum is a big drum made of buffalo, deer or cow hide. It is usually played together, by eight men.

Foot Drums
The origins of the modern drum set can be traced back to a few native American tribes. A foot drum is basically played by striking it with a bare foot or pedal, or both in tandem. In the ancient times, Miwok, Maidu, Aztec and Hopi tribes used foot drums. These drums were typically semicircle, hollowed cross sectioned logs, which were laid over wood covered pits that resonated. For playing these, the artists or the performers stomped on these hollow logs with the help of poles, for balance and support.

Tom Tom Drums
Tom tom drums are referred to as any hand held, small headed drums, which are normally long and narrow. They are not beaten with drumsticks, but are played by hands. It is a cylindrical drum with no snare at all.

Water Drums
Then there are the water drums, which are cup shaped wooden vessels, with water inside them. There are two types of water drums, namely the yaqui and the iroquois.

There are a few more types of drums, complete with their unique playing styles, but the ones mentioned above, are the most popular and pervasive, when it comes to native American drum music. There are other types like apache drums, lakota, tarahumara and so on, which are the traditional instruments of those tribes.

Drums are played amongst all the tribes, which are a part of the native American culture. The Mohawks, Aztecs,Tarahmura and many other tribes, consider drum music to be much more than just that. It is their liaison with the supernatural powers and a way to invoke natural elements like the sun, earth, water and so on. Drums, therefore, can safely be said to be the most primitive instruments used for communication, by the native Americans, who still have a connection with the supernatural and a great regard for nature.