Vigo County Historical Society
Historical Treasure Article
January 17, 1988
By Jan Buffington
Vigo County Historical Society
Drums gave continuity to Indian dances
The music and dances of the American Indian were not considered an art form but were a ritual by which they could move closer to the spirits and power of nature.
There were dances of war, peace, victory, bravery, joy and sorrow. Some were for courtship, fertility, birth, the coming of age, death and the after life. Others were to bring rain, success in hunting or fishing, heal the sick and anything else essential to Indian survival.
Ceremonial songs were a means of communication with supernatural beings. These songs were guarded by each tribe or even an individual. Since each spirit called upon during a ceremony would not respond unless the ritual was conducted in the prescribed manner, their exact performance was carefully watched over and memorized for future ceremonies. Having no written words, an Indian who could learn and retain songs and routines quickly was highly regarded by the tribe.
The vocal part of a ritual consisted mainly of two or three notes chanted in a flat, unemotional voice. It pulsated with the rhythm from a higher to a lower pitch. Only in a song did women join the men during most ceremonies.
Most dances were performed by men, a few were done by the women, but rarely were they performed by both sexes.
Four basic dance steps and rhythms were used in ritual dances: The toe-heel step was performed to a two-beat rhythm, with the accent on the first beat, ONE-two. Another two-beat rhythm, one-TWO, was used for the drag step. A three-beat rhythm, ONE-two-three, was used in the energetic dance movement called the stomp step. A four-beat rhythm, ONE-two-three-four, was used for the canoes step.
Drums were the universal instrument used by the Indian. Their endless repetition of the rhythm had an almost hypnotic effect on the dancers. Other instruments used were the rattle, a flute, a whistle, a notched stick or a rough fiddle.
The drums were made by stretching and lacing a piece of wet rawhide over both ends of a section of a hollowed log. The head of a drumstick was made of rawhide and filled with gravel.
Small drums usually had rawhide on one side and a handle on the underside made of wood or rawhide so that it was easy to carry in a dance. Larger ones were made with the rawhide on both ends and handles on the sides for the less active dancers. The biggest ones were made to be played by more than one drummer.
The historical treasure this week is the museum’s collection of Indian drums located in the tool room. One drum was donated by Walter B. French. It is a rawhide Comanche Indian drum which one belonged to Chief Quanah Parker of Oklahoma. It is a small handheld drum for use during dances. Another drum has yellow, blue and red decorative paint on the sides.
The drum pictured here is made of rawhide lashed to a wood frame and has double handles for carrying. On both ends is a red cross outlined in black. This drum was donated by Fannie Blumberg.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.