Tempo

Some reflections on Native American drumming:

We visited the Makato Pow-wow/Wacipi this past weekend, and I was amazed by the power of the traditional drumming. It was a feeling of being deep into a way of life. The drummers and singers kept a heartbeat to which the dancers danced. In the twlight, it was a unique site to see.

I watched the men sitting around the drum during one of the dances (one group of 32 drum groups which were there that weekend!)...Each person had a unique "voice" in playing the drum, and in keeping the beat. Sometimes the beat would be steady, and then one man would start an alternate rhythm to the main one. Their singing voices were in tune with the drumming, and the drumming was in tune with the dancers. It was really a show of unity, above all else.

If I could draw some conclusions from this brief dip into another culture, one which is all too often forgotten, especially in this region, I would say that there is a culture of drumming, just as there is a culture of dancing, of traditional arts, and of singing. The fact that the drum itself, and the drum beat, was a focal point of the event, the movement, and the meaning, is sort of a revelation to me. It would be interesting to see how this native culture of drumming works--what the men did, how they feel, what they know, who they are....what lessons could I draw from them?

Someone told me that drums and drumming had been "demonized " over the past century or so, and that it's been pushed to the side in our modern culture (except perhaps in rock and jazz bands!). Thankfully, the drums are alive and well, at least in a native culture within our dominant, non-drum-friendly (that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but that's how I feel) culture.

My goals is to drum up some research, which so far is sorely lacking from this project.