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Commonly Asked QuestionsI have attempted to provide answers to frequent questions here. If I have not answered your question, please feel free to call or email. I am always happy to answer questions. |
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| What is a shaman?
Shaman is a word from the Tungas tribe of Siberia. It has evolved into a generic term for healers and spiritual leaders in tribal and modern societies. Shamans work via trance states achieved through drumming, rattling, singing, dancing, fasting, or other means to attain the shamanic state of consciousness. While in such reverie, the shaman becomes an intermediary between the ordinary visible world and the hidden reality. |
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| What do shamans do?
Shamans work with compassionate healing spirits. Shamans help recover parts of you that were lost through physical, emotional, or spiritual trauma. They heal in the past and the present. They heal the living and those no longer living. The great majority of shamans around the world do their healing with drums and rattles to assist them in their work. (You can experience the shamanic state of consciousness yourself with a drum or a rattle or even a journey CD.) |
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| Why do you perform a drum awakening ceremony?
Drums are magical healing instruments for our world and our intentions strengthen them. In my ceremony, I give thanks to the animals, trees, and plants who have given so that I can make the drum. I welcome the drum's life and existence. I awaken each drum with prayers for the drum and for its highest possible use. |
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| What are the sources of your hides for drums, rattles, and drum beaters?
I get hides from reputable sources around the country. I have worked with most of my suppliers for years. Once in a while, I will find a new supplier, such as an Indiana ranch that had buffalo and elk hides left over from hunting. The hides I obtain are always the byproduct of something else. I buy rawhide, which is the least desirable use of the hide from the taxidermist's perspective, but it allows these hides to have a spiritual use instead of becoming a lampshade or being thrown in the trash. |
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| Where do you get your bear, cougar, and wolf hides?
Bear, cougar, and wolf hides come from either Canada or the United States where they are legally hunted or trapped. (I wish it were otherwise!) If any of these hides are commerical quality, they are turned into a rug or stuffed. When a hide is unsuitable for any other use, it is made into rawhide. I very rarely can obtain bear, cougar, or wolf hides. When I get one, I put it to the highest use I can, tools for shamanic practitioners. |
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| What are the qualities of each type of hide?
In general, buffalo and moose are thicker hides and make heavier drums. Those hides stand up best to changes in humidity and temperature. Thicker hides also have a deeper sound. Bear, cougar, elk, and horse hides are thinner, make lighter drums, and vary more with the weather. Thinner hides have a higher sound. However, every hide is an individual and there are sometimes thinner moose and buffalo hides and sometimes thicker horse hides. There are also other qualities, such as the intradermal layer of hair in bear or the elastic quality of horsehide, that make each type of hide unique. |
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| What is the right drum hide for me?
I often hear this question, and I always ask if you have a special relationship with some animal. For example, have you seen buffalo in your dreams? Have you always been drawn to horse or some other animal? If you are not aware of such a relationship, then I encourage you to ask for the right animal to appear in your journeywork, dreams, or meditations. When you have that connection or the animal appears to you, I think you have answered your question about which hide is right for you. |
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| How do I paint my drum?
I recommend acrylic, which is very forgiving. The best source is an art supply store. You should ask for a quality starter set of acrylic paints. Those generally include 6-8 different colors and cost about $15. You should also buy a good thin paint brush ($5-$10) and a matte fixative ($5). It is best to apply the paint in several thin coats. When you are done painting, spray on the matte fixative to protect your creative expression. |
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| What did native-made drums look like?
Click on any image below to learn more about the drum. 
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| Why do you make drums and rattles, and why do you make your wolf and bear drum beaters?
I love doing this work. I am very, very pleased to be a supplier of things that help others on their spiritual paths. When I do my own shamanic work, I am always welcomed by the spirits of the animals whose hides I use for drums and rattles. As for drum beaters, there is no reason they should all be the same. I believe natural and artificial fur drum beaters sound great, have an amazing appearance, and have fabulous textures, too. Making all these things is all very gratifying, and I get to make a living doing this, too! |
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| What kinds of tools do you use?
My tool collection grows every year and enables me to make better drums and rattles every year. These include shaping frames (for drums); an industrial sewing machine (for drum beater heads); sand and stones and crystals of different sizes (for rattles); and a variety of knives, punches, saws, and clamps. As an example of my tools, note four types of professional and industrial shears in the image at the right. They are 8-10 inches (20-25 cm) long and enable me to cut any size, type, and thickness of rawhide. |
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| Where have you sold your drums and rattles?
...in the United States: 44 states ... too many to list! ...in Europe: 16 countries ... Austria, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom ...in the rest of the world: 4 additional countries ... Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa |
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at the left to go to the Shamanic Art: Ceremonial Drums and Rattles home page. |
P.O. Box 11, Elbing, KS 67041 (316) 799-2989 drummaker@beardrum.com |
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