Drum Awakening Ceremony at SLHS

Jeff Green | Apr 15, 2010

All Eyes focused on the awakening drum.

Danka Brewer and the Sisters of the Drum helped to initiate some students and staff from Sharbot Lake High School into the world of Algonquin drumming at a ceremony held on a brilliant spring day behind the school on Monday.

Six students and three teachers at the school brought out drums that they have been building since January, in a program that was supported by the Limestone District School Board's Aboriginal Education initiative.

“This is a wonderful day,” said Danka Brewer as she welcomed the participants, “and it has taken a lot of patience from all of you.”

The students not only had to wait through the drum making process, they also had to learn several songs in advance of the ceremony, and they were not able to use their drums at all until they were awakened at the ceremony.

The ceremony requires other drums, and that's where the Sisters of the Drum came in. As the first drummer came forward with his drum, he passed out tobacco to the Sisters, and then placed a stone and a small amount of tobacco on his drum, which he held up like an offering. The sisters surrounded him with their drums and began to sing and drum. The proximity of the drums to the one being initiated caused the pebble and the tobacco to begin bouncing, and as the song continued the pebble moved in one direction. At the end of the song the drum was identified by the direction the stone had travelled (north, east, south, or west).

That drummer then joined in with the Sisters to initiate the second drum, and so on until 8 new drums and the Sisters of the Drum were involved in the naming of the final drum in the ceremony.

By the time all of the drums, 15 or more, were involved, the ceremony for the final few drums did not last a long time because the vibrations were great enough to send the small stones to the edge and even off the drums in short order.

The Algonquins believe that all drums are connected to the great drum, which represents the heartbeat of the earth. “This ceremony gives each of the drums a voice of their own,” said Danka Brewer.

This connection with mother drum is symbolized by the literal cutting off of an “umbilical cord”. When the drum is made, one hide string is left hanging out at the bottom of the drum, and that string is cut at the end of the ceremony. With the cord now cut, the independent life of the drum can begin, but the connection to the mother drum is never completely severed.

Although the atmosphere at the ceremony was decidedly casual, the level of excitement among the participants was palpable. The visual and emotional impact of the Sisters of the Drum initiating a group of young people into the drumming community was also apparent to all.

In the Algonquin tradition, the ceremony was followed by a feast.

Among the observers at the ceremony was Kevin Read, the program consultant for Aboriginal education with the Limestone District School Board. He said that the drum-making project was one of several that are taking place at schools in the board this year. Others in Frontenac County include sponsoring a Srawberry Moon Festival and Aboriginal play days.

There will also be a student conference in Kingston in May with participants from schools throughout the board, which will focus on Aboriginal culture and history.

Read’s mandate includes enhancing the skills and knowledge of Aboriginal students as well as increasing the awareness about Aboriginal issues and culture among all students at the board.