Dancing my dance, singing my songs, painting my pictures, writing my stories, drumming to my own beat and praying .....................I do all of this in a good way.
The Drum - A gift from the Deer and the Standing Tree People
Drums: Most of the drums I make I either sell as art or I give away to children. As I make a drum for sale I am left with scraps and smaller pieces of rawhide that I can make a drum for a child. In gifting the drums to the First Nations and Native American Children of North and South America it is my hope it will assist them in going to their elders and family to learn about their OWN culture.
For every drum you purchase I can give at least one drum to a child.
Drum Making Workshops: If you want to make a drum I can show you. My fee is 100.00 an hour. If you have a group of people that want to make drums my fee is still 100.00 an hour.
If you want the whole process from beginning to end and want my time it is 100.00 an hour plus travel and expenses if I am travelling to a place I usually do not go. Day one is a sacred circle followed by the cutting of the drum head and lacing. The hide then needs to soak a minimum of 24 hours but I prefer it soaks for 48 hours. Day 2 is the lacing of the drum and design of the graphics. I have all the painting supplies and many ideas and designs. The drum then needs to dry 24-48 hours. Day three is the honoring of the drum and painting the design.
I have been asked if I can do drum making workshops. Yes I can. However as soon as I tell people the price they wince. Consequently I no longer arrange workshops on my own workshops. I can get the supplies for you or you can order a drum kit from Centralia Fur and Hide in Washington State or from Pacific Fur and Hide in Vancouver or alternatively you can order a yellow cedar frame and hide separately form many supplers.
I prefer the yellow cedar round frames and I prefer hide from Pacific Fur in Vancouver. I also prefer to cover the sides of the frame and most kits only give you a top and half way down the side.
Octagon frames are a little more work but if you have a frame made by someone I can show you how to put a hide on it.
Do you understand deer talk?
At the end of my first vision quest I got up from my place beside the still waters of lightening lake.I turned around and there stood a large mule deer.I looked deep into his eyes and I saw a vastness of a world never before seen.I had no fear as he bowed his head.He looked up for a moment then ran into the bushes.Where he stood was a roughly carved walking stick. I picked up the stick and gave thanks to the grandfather deer.I knew it was to go on a journey of not only self discovery but one of talking to the people and listening to the children. Deer has been my friend since I was a child.I have vivid memories of me and my grandfather feeding apples to the deer on Galiano Island in British Columbia. I started making drums and more drums while working with the native children.I saw it as a project to help them learn about their culture. One day I had a vision of 10,000 drums all beating to the sound of the heartbeat to honor the great mother.So I began making even more drums:Drums for the children, drums for the artists, drums for European & Asian travelers, drums for shamans and anyone else that came along.There was never much if any profit in the drum making but the vision was important.I even heard of a South American Shaman that had the same vision of the 10,000 drums.
Sometimes when I see the 10,000 drums beating to the sound of the heartbeat I feel a great sorrow and then a great sense of heaven being on earth.
Bless the Standing Tree People
Standing Tree People
Thank you for Giving your Life!
Drum Making Supplies
I received my first drum from Phil l'hirondelle in exchange for a healing. It was made by a Jewish Man in Seattle. As I walked along the deck of Canada Place, a elder native man came up to me. He admired the drum and sang a beautiful song to thank and honor the deer that gave it's life for the head of my drum. Please honor the animals on your journey.
It has been my proprietary secret as to where my supplies for Drum Making came from.I do still make the occasional drum and my daughter also still makes some drums.It is our decision to share with you where the supplies come from. We would prefer to teach others how to make their own drum.
The round yellow cedar drum frames are available from Grant McHurdie of Duncan, BC.The frames from Mr. McHurdie are the most durable frames we found.They have been tested in the sweats and in extreme hot and cold temperatures.We have never had one warp or come apart.I have never met Grant but he tells me his main focus is yellow cedar canoes.I can tell by the quality of the frames and the care he takes in packaging and shipping he is one special person.
D McHardie 2761B Miller Rd Duncan, BC V9L 6V6 (250) 748-5290
We use Maple drum frames on occasion especially for the Bodhran Drum and for Pow Wow Drums. The maple frames from Centralia Fur and Hide are the best maple frames I have found.I watched how they are made and how they take a great deal of pride in their work.They also had an honor for the animals.The animals that are killed along the Oregon highways are picked up with a prayer and blessing by the staff of Centralia.
Sources for Rawhide
These suppliers have provided us with outstanding service and realistic prices.
Fox Valley Leather located in North Salt Lake in Utah.Will ship to Canada.Not sure about overseas.Fox Valley Tanning is the best source and perhaps the only source of the beautiful all-white hides favored by the northwest coast artists. Call them for the white hide as I am not sure you can find it on their web site.
Pacific LeatherLocated in Vancouver, BC.Wholesaler - speak to Tony.Pacific Leather sometimes has whiter hides the artist appreciates.
Yellow Cedar is actually not a Cedar but a Cypress Tree. Nootka Cypress is native to the west coast of North America, from the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, south to northernmost California. Please honor the Standing Tree People. They are your relations.
The Octagon Drum Frame
The Octagon Drum Frames were build by my late friend and long term partner.
I have no other supplier for these frames. For those that knew of his work they knew his frames were made with extreme care. He spent hours preparing and sanding them.
If you know of anyone that does woodworking they can make these frames. Here is the little I know about the process of octagon frame making.
He made them out of cedar or from Nootka Cypress (yellow cedar). Suppliers for the yellow cedar were in Kelowna and in Delta, BC. Sorry don't know who they were.
He used a jig. He used a strong wood glue and would clamp the frames on the jig for a few days or until the glue was dry. He used waffles in the joints to make them strong.
That is all I can say about these frames.
Bless the Deer
Mendocino Deer
A Fawn
Deer
Loving All My Relations, Painting, Drumming, Writing and Creating in a Good Way.
