"Tribal Drum"
Raleigh, NC - November 2008 (Click to embiggen)
North Carolina is home to eight state-recognized Native American tribes: The Coharie, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Haliwa-Saponi, Lumbee, Meherrin, Occaneechi Band of Saponi, Sappony, and Waccamaw-Siouan. Last November, members of these tribes came together in downtown Raleigh for the 13th Annual American Indian Heritage Celebration. And even though I was (terribly) late in arriving (and missed a great deal of the program as a consequence), I still managed to learn a few things. And see some interesting displays of dance and music.One such fascinating (to me at least) display was the tribal drums. Though in this case, "tribal" isn't really the correct word since the drummers were actually members of two interitribal groups. These (very) large drums are played by an entire group of mallet wielding drummers all playing simultaneously on the same drum. The co-ordination this must take seems a bit daunting to me. (Imagine a handbell choir all trying to play the same bell.) It's not so hard to imagine a dozen people wailing away on the same drum if it's large enough, but to keep any kind of rhythm this way is quite an accomplishment.The dances themselves seem to be a fairly free interpretation rather than a tightly defined set of prescribed steps, and the few dancers I did manage to see took full advantage of the latitude such styles offer. I really must make the effort to get there earlier next year.
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23 comments:
A gorgeous photo, beautifully composed, and a fascinating insight into another culture.
The drum is beautiful in B&W, Mojo. Hope you get to the festival earlier next year!
I love their colorful costumes, that drum in black and white is very nice I must say.
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We have a big Ute powwow in our area every summer. It's interesting to hear about the gatherings and customs of other Native American groups. Great Black and white photo of the drum.
Mojo: That is an interesting amount of information from your world.
From the modern Cherokee lands, your drum image is stunning and paired nicely with the Mexican blanket. Beautiful.
This is the kind of post I like best! A lot of cultural facts and one or two great photos. This is interesting. I happened to see a program on TV just as you described. Tribes from all over the country gathered together and were indeed playing one big drum. Thanks for this post.
This is the kind of my world post I like too, a real sense of the place and it's pat I see Linky is down again. I am up and I would like your input. You never have fear of speaking the truth o the blogs.
I know what you mean about taking advantage of the latitude. I've seen that, too. That's a wonderful photo.
Our area has a lot of native history and I have always been interested. Good post...
Great photo especially in mono, I hope you get there earlier next year. Thanks for an interesting post.
Neat ideal making that a B&W photo. Great job. =) I bet it was neat getting to see those dances. Hope you have a great week.
A great get together with traditional music and dance.I hope you get there on time next time.
Lovely photo of the drum.
Inter-tribal meet? that must be exciting! And drums are used till date to convey messages? all these must be exciting to see from close.
Nice post. It's reassuring to know that cultural heritage is living on.
Wonderful photo and post!
Here in Washington state we have quite a few tribes also. I love going to pow wows in the summer and watching the dancing, eating indian tacos and buying crafts and art work. I love that they are also making money with their casinos.
Thanks so much for the interesting info, and that is a wonderful pic.
Regina In Pictures
i have always been facscinated by the Native Americans, their culture, clothes, heritage, all of it. thanks for sharing some here.
Wonderful shot! The black and white is great and I love the composition.
Beautiful B&W photo of the drum i can almost here it. We have the indiane reservation here Central Oregon and a few yrs ago we went to one of there Pow Wow's i so enjoyed seeing how they do there dances and music. This one we went too there were several tribes from all over.
Fascinating ... I love listening to Indian drumming and own a drum of my own. Thanks for sharing. I've participated for the first time in My World today at Sacred Ruminations.
Hugs and blessings,
In my world, our province (much like your state), is home to alot of indigenous tribes and it is always interesting for me to see and experience their culture and traditions. I like the picture of the drum:) In fact, I like alot of your posts here.
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