West Coast Indigenous Drums

The most important Indigenous or Aboriginal instrument has always been the drum, as is obvious when attending any Indigenous ceremony or celebration. To them the drum is more than just a musical instrument. They believe the drum has a life of its own and that the spirits of the tree and animal that the drum was made from live within the drum. They also believe that the beats from the drum call out to these spirits to protect and guide them.

Different tribes have different traditions about the drum and how to play it, but the basic construction is the same regardless of the tribe. They are constructed of a wooden frame or hollowed out log and have deer, elk, horse or buffalo hides stretched taut across the opening by sinew thongs. There are many different types and sizes of Indigenous drums including hand drums that rest on the arm and large drums that are set on the ground.

At Canadian Indigenous Art, we ensure our gallery only includes handcrafted drums made by authentic Squamish Nation Artists.