One of the most important tools you will ever need as a shaman is the drum, the spirit horse to take you on the journey to the other-worlds. The crafting of your first drum is like the birth of a child, an experience that fills you with both wonder and love.
When asked to make a drum with someone or for someone the first step of that process is to ask them for what purpose they want to bring this "being" into the ordinary world. As an Animist I view my drums and rattles as living things, so it is important that I understand their intent. To make a drum is easy, to make a shamanic drum that will enable its caretaker to travel outside of ordinary reality is a skill that few people possess. When making drums for myself I travel to all three worlds at different stages of the crafting. First the Lower World to meet the Stag and the tree, to honour their sacrifice. Then the Middle World to ask my guides what designs or symbols need to be on the drum. Finally, after the skin has dried and the drum is ready to sing for the first time, I travel to the Upper World to meet the spirit of the drum and find its purpose.
I make frame drums, the hoops are of Ash or Birch, the skin is Red Deer, I prefer the person I'm teaching to make the drum themselves, and often I make one at the same time. Whenever possible the drums are crafted under the Yew tree that I work with. The Yew is the Axis Mundi of my Shamanic Druidry, the tree of rebirth and ancestral memories.The skins come from the same herd of deer, and as our drums have grown in number over time they have created a tribe, or herd. Many times, in the drum circle we run here in Kent, people have commented that they could hear the S The Birthing ProcessWe start by soaking the deer skin for three days in pure water taken from an ancient spring head on the marshes near were I live. The person making the drum is asked to bring with them plants and herbs that they feel connected to so these can be added to the water and the skin washed with them.
Next, the maker sands the hoop; with this process they get to not only put their energy into the frame but get to know its very bones. After this we make a paint of Red Ochre and water and this is smeared onto the hoop with their fingers; for me this symbolises the blood of the drum. So, now we have the blood and the bones of our drum. The skin is then removed from the water and thanks are given to the stag who's life was sacrificed, holes are punched around the skins edge and the hoop is placed on top ready for lacing up. The sinew is then measured out and threaded on to a Fox bone needle which I make from Fox ribs. We use sinew rather than raw hide strips as these become the vocal cords that allow my drums to sing. Then I ask the maker to put their hands back into the Red Ochre before they begin stringing the drum as this imitates the natural birthing process and they become the midwife at the birth of their drum. When the threading is done, then comes the tensioning; this is something I normally take over as it takes skill and intuition to make sure that skin and tension will work together.
When all this is finished we put the drum aside and start on the beater, the heart that makes the drum come alive. I only work with the indigenous trees of Britain so discuss with the drum-maker beforehand what tree they would like to make the beater from. I ask the person to find their beater stick before they make the drum so he or she can spend time with the tree of their choice. Making that effort is what it's really all about.
Once both beater and drum are completed they are blessed over a fire and a ceremony is performed to awaken and welcome the drum to this world. When the skin has dried (usually 3 to 4 days) it is time for the maker to journey with it and meet the spirit of their drum for the first time.
Phil Jones is a shamanic druid. He is also a drum and rattle maker. Phil lives and practices in England and runs guided shamanic walks and drum-making workshops in and around Faversham, Kent.
For further information see the Shamanic/Druidry website. E-mail ancientwalks@hotmail.com.All photos taken by Phil Jones
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