LolaJovan.com
  • Home
  • ART
  • BLOG
  • Exhibits
    • The Downside of Lycanthropy
    • A Song for the Hunted
    • The Wild God
    • NUDGE - SHOVE
  • BOOKS

Drumbeat

5/22/2017

6 Comments

 
Picture
​"Drumbeat" - mixed media on masonite, 16" x 12".  Sold.

​Last Friday, I had a great adventure in creativity - this time building a Native American hand drum (or CANCEGA) from poplar, elk hide and sinew.  There is nothing easy about building a drum.  Piercing the hide, stretching the hide lacing, creating the lacing pattern, binding with sinew...my hands and shoulders felt like blocks of aching cement all weekend afterward.  But the process is mystical and awe-inspiring.  The hide and lacings are kept wet until ready to use.  With good reason, as we could see it drying on the drum frame as we threaded the lacing and pulled it tight.  Our instructor, Rick McBride, was patient and encouraging, even as some of us (ok, it was me) had to unlace and re-lace after messing up the over-over-under-under pattern.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Rick brought reverence and awe to the process, as he explained the personal nature of drums.  Intended for ceremonial use, the finished drums will not be played by anyone other than their creator, and will be "awoken" in a sacred ceremony after they are dry.  In the meantime, we were instructed to keep our hands off of them for at least five days.  I can tell you, that's going to be tough.  Even now, I hear my drum calling me...
Picture

​After the drums were assembled, all lacings tight and bound off, we were invited to use some of Rick's non-ceremonial drums and join a drumming circle. 

Both my husband and son built drums with me, and so we all three grabbed the extra drums and hand-made drumsticks (bamboo, cotton, wood glue and felt or leather) and found our rhythm in the circle of ten drummers.  We didn't know the words or the tunes, but the others made it easy to participate and were so patient in explaining the meaning of the songs and how to pronounce some of the words.

This was so much more than another creative event - it was the reunion of my husband and son with their own Native American heritage and traditions missing for generations.  I couldn't help but feel a deep joy as the drums reverberated in unison, joining together the past and the present in one steady rhythm.

Once my drum is dry and then awoken in ceremony, it will be ready to paint.  That's right, elk hide is a beautiful canvas, another reclaimed substrate but with a beautiful purpose and sound.

This time, the painting will be just for me, and will include my own sacred markings and symbolism.  

Rick encouraged us to spend time with our drums in the future, sitting near the ocean or a forest and discovering the spirit of the drum.  There is something deeply satisfying about this thought - softly drumming a heartbeat of hand-made wisdom in a high-tech and fast paced world. :)

If drum building and ceremonial drumming is calling you, check out Rick's website for upcoming workshops and drumming circles.  



Picture
6 Comments
Dotty Seiter link
5/22/2017 08:37:30 am

You are a vibrant gal with an open heart, an internal drum beat as backdrop to all your adventures.

Reply
jen
5/22/2017 09:05:49 am

Dotty! Thank you....your comment made my morning sparkle!!

Reply
Carol Edan link
5/31/2017 03:57:46 am

Love your description and images of drum making. Remind me of the television series about each person playing by their own beat, Can't recall the name. Love the way that white sings out!!

Reply
jen
5/31/2017 06:06:34 am

Thanks so much, Carol! I would love to know the name of that series if you think of it...sounds like something I must watch!!!

Reply
Carol Edan link
6/12/2017 02:38:47 am

Finally got a reminder from the web.. It was "Different Strokes!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV27CUj51vU

jen
6/12/2017 09:41:42 am

ooooh Carol! That's a real throwback! I watched that show as a kid! Thanks for sharing...a great way to start my day. :)

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Lola Jovan

    Picture

    Get Mail!

    * indicates required
    /* real people should not fill this in and expect good things - do not remove this or risk form bot signups */

    Intuit Mailchimp

    Categories

    All
    An Unexpected Life
    Bones
    Bossy Pants
    Mischief And Malarkey
    Rewilding
    The Art Of Seeing
    The Inner Landscape
    The Weight Of Words

contact lola
Picture
Here's the blue wild, where
tiny dreamers ride beasts, speak
​ birdsong, hold the moon.

(by poet Mary W. Cox)
​


​Art prints available on request
  • Home
  • ART
  • BLOG
  • Exhibits
    • The Downside of Lycanthropy
    • A Song for the Hunted
    • The Wild God
    • NUDGE - SHOVE
  • BOOKS