Preview
Description
The drum body is traditionally made from the hollowed-out trunks of trees such as sourwood, black gum, or tupelo gum. These trees are often hollow by the time they reach maturity, and the drum-maker will select a mature tree to cut into segments that are approximately the desired size for the drum. Once the drum-body blank has been cut, the interior and exterior of the drum walls are worked to the desired shape and thickness and the drum blank is set aside to dry. Many drum blanks split at this point and have to be discarded. If the drum survives the drying process, strips of hickory wood are bent into hoops to fit around the drum body, and these hickory hoops are also used to secure a stretched rawhide (usually deer) across the top of the drum body, forming the drum head. Finally, snares made of rope or rawhide are attached to the sides of the drum, giving the instrument its distinctive look and sound.
Recommended Citation
Museum, Chucalissa, "Traditional Drum" (2022). Artifacts. 49.
https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/chnash-museum-chucalissa-gallery2/49
Keywords
Drum; Music; Mississippian
