Drum
North American (Western Great Lakes), c1880 – 1900
Painted wood, rawhide, cloth, beads, metal, feathers, Drum 22 x 58
x 55.5cm, Support-stakes approx. 137cm high, Drumsticks 34 and 35cm long
Accession Number LL8400-8406
The dance drum of the Ojibwa and other central Algonquian-speaking tribes came into use in about 1880. This was partly in response to the new non-nomadic lifestyle forced upon them after they were settled in reservations.
It was the focus of ceremonial dances performed by drum societies, which were intended to promote peace. Ceremonies were held either in open-air enclosures or in circular dance halls. A new drum society could be initiated by the gift of a drum from an existing society to another community. All claimed ultimate ‘descent’ from the original drum made following a revelation to a prophetess of the Sioux tribe.
The four ornamental support-stakes were secured in deep holes in the ground (or in a specially made stand), so that the drum was suspended much nearer to ground level than shown here.
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