A Prayer for You: Gentleness

A Prayer for You: Gentleness

Dear Relatives,
When you behave as a gentle person, people often perceive you as weak. But when you feel the love of God, gentleness is a natural outcome.

Gentleness is part of God's Will: it makes sense that God would have all of us to be kind and gentle to one another, to anything and everything.

The strength of gentleness comes from being in the grace of God at all times. It's not always easy; we don't always behave that way. It's difficult to do because most of us get angry at someone or something from time to time. I like the old adage of counting to 10 to get myself together again. Or to sit and say a prayer and meditate for a few minutes.

God would have us be wholly gentle. As gentleness gradually grows inside of our hearts and minds, He would have us be unfailing, all ­encompassing and limitless in strength of that gentleness.

Here's a good one to keep in mind: joy is the inevitable result of gentleness. Gentleness means that fear is now impossible, and what could come to interfere with joy?

When I was a little boy, I remember the pictures that depicted how gentle He was to all. Jesus seemed to me to be gentle to everyone and everything. It sticks in my mind.

May we pray?
Dear Heavenly Father and Earthly Mother,
Today, we ask for the gentleness that You would have us be at all times. May the Holy Spirit take all our angry thoughts that occasionally keep us from gentleness and put it where he knows it belongs. Help us not to be concerned of what others think of us. Give us the strength to be gentle. Amen

One of my favorite verses.  Galatians 5:2-23:  22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.     

I offer everyone gentleness. Have a gentle and beautiful day.

Love, blessings and gentleness to you and your loved ones,

Holiness David
Father Red Hand 

Gifted by Alightfromwithin.org Angel Services Around the World
Sioux Task Force and Rainbow Warriors of Prophecy
Jews for the Ark of the Covenant, the Promise of the Rainbow, the Holy People

Father Red Hand, walking in the trees (among the trees of life), kissing (unification), here is my heart, going two (united) by three (dream is born), walking along, giving love to thee. Father Red Hand purifying love, flowing and glowing (red fire) and driving all that's bad (purification bring all home), home to the heart beat (pounding heart flows life), where all belongs and keeps, inside the blood (red road, the law of love). There I stand up (rising sun) to the hands of God, where my embrace holds all that I see below. Running Eagle, my Shooting Star does sea, the many children, God gave to liberty.

Thank You for Your Prayer Father Red Hand

On 09/19/2012  Princess of Dawning wrote:

Aho Holiness David Running Eagle Shooting Star our Father Red Hand,

Thank you for the prayer. :)

~My heart is lifted, light as air, Loving kindness everywhere. I pray we all learn how to share. and how to care from here to there. Your love is guiding us, even when we're unaware.~


Aho everywhere you go, Love!

(Charlene) Thunder Raging your Princess of Dawning 
Violet child, Rainbow Warrior of prophecy
PrincessofDawning.blogspot.com


On 09/19/2012  Father Red Hand wrote:

Dear Charlene, Finding the Light (Thunder Raging our Princess of Dawning),
Your gift of love has been received and it has been received with gratitude.  Thank you very much.

I bless the sacred nine streams!

May we pray:
Dear Heavenly Father and Earthly Motherly,
We pray that Your love will bless our friend (helper), Charlene (Princess of Dawning) and that You will be with her and her loved ones each day.  We pray that You watch over her and be her guide as she travels through life.

Her gift of love* is an example of where her heart is.  Please allow our love to flow into her heart and allow us to teach knowledge and wisdom that You have gifted to us.
Amen

Again, we thank you.

Love and blessings to you and yours,
Holiness David (Running Eagle Shooting Star our Father Red Hand)
Elder Lavender Child
alightfromwithin.org
Rainbow Warriors of Prophecy
 

* Her gift of love: Relatives, Princess of Dawning gifted (donation at alightfromwithin.org) the amount of a cup of coffee, "time spent together in assorted weather (sharing between relatives of the true blue)". Actually it went into the gas tank for the generator, in order we can send more emails and respond to more people around the world. And we shared water together (true blue), now a days we have to buy bottled water from the source of the Mountain Stream (crystal geyser). We bow and thank all our relatives who care about Rainbow Warriors of Prophecy and the great change towards brotherhood. We send blessings and love to you and yours. The Rainbow Clan is our herd/heard we bless and pray we all come together. If more would share a cup of coffee, tea or water, then we would be very happy. White Buffalo Calf Woman shares!

 

Ghost Walk  (Sing, Dance, Gather) with us (where you are) each New Moon.

From the darkness we arise a heavenly child. 

(2014, solar and lunar calender align, January 1, a cycle of renewal) 

 

 

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Father Red Hand, walking in the trees (among the trees of life), kissing (unification), here is my heart, going two (united) by three (dream is born), walking along, giving love to thee. Father Red Hand purifying love, flowing and glowing (red fire) and driving all that's bad (purification bring all home), home to the heart beat (pounding heart flows life), where all belongs and keeps, inside the blood (red road, the law of love). There I stand up (rising sun) to the hands of God, where my embrace holds all that I see below. Running Eagle, my Shooting Star does sea, the many children, God gave to liberty.

There Upon a Hill, a Sounding!

There upon a hill, I am still. Just because I live upon this world, means I must share my love, to provide the heavenly gust. Where I am abound, let us make some sound, just in time, to wake up all the living bounding sounding rounding plan of God (circle of life). Stand near me, I will be a tree (tree of life). Hold onto me, then all will be bound to see, wonder of love come fill my heart and be a gust. Wake up and find me upon this hill. My love is sure, if I open doors. Hold my hand and understand, we are bounding, rounding you sea.  The heart of me, the heart in need. Can you find a waking mind?  I want to shine all arounding (circle of life).

Stand upon that hill, I am still (reflection). Can you feel my love upon this mill (workings)? stone (blessing)? (grinding, to refine, the workings of a blessing). I have a bone (sharing on the red road, green or spiritual trees offer the exchange, oxygen for carbon monoxide), can you shine with me. I want to share the heart of eternity. There is a day, when all we say, is going to be where we want that day, upon it's love. upon that will. I will stand there with love that is mighty clear. I give my heart with all it's parts, because I know it's what's called of me.

We are man, because we stand, but God needs us each and every man. I want to share, but my wife does dare. She says, I have to know God is hear, in my heart, that's where I start.  Can you see, my heart in the leaves. The tree of life, holds me close to thee. I want to bee a living dream, that caudals (holds) you close to eternity. We are man, human who stand upon this hill to shine forever we the band. We carry truth even as we are shining in a noose (strangulation/lesson, but also a circle that is tight, fisherman), because our hearts belong to this tree. We are fond of each and everyone, but those who don't understand, find out that love demands. And I know true, that love is blue, where heaven decides over you (two not one over others, but together forever).

Can we she (heavenly soul), hold to our knees (bow and pray). We must bow and pray to save our days. And I know it's what we sow, into the soil of Mother love we do boil (heat springs upwards and out, like a geyser). And feed our hearts, for it's the part of what we need to care about each and every start. Sow each day, love and praise, or lessons abide in all you dew (cling to you) and say. Gift away love, just to hear the start of new beginning of what we feel and say. Each one of us, have much to learn, and I want to be a part of this burn (lessons that turn into treasures).

Hold my hand and heaven stand. For I know I need to hold each and every man. I will bow and pray my soul away, if I save my brother, my sister who needs my love this day. I will shine, upon all mortal dine (breaking bread, sharing wine/daze, eat and praise), upon the will of man kind, who need to step to the heart that binds. And if I say, "I love you all the way, my soul will find you, wherever you flow this day".  I am part of this dream, at all the seams and we are part of mankind (king/kingsmen/kinsmen/relatives) of said and done. We are what we need, because we are part of heaven's dream. And I want to shine with you to know true love.

(sound came out then silence, to and fro) Come and shine with me. I want to share the leaves. I want to know your heart. I want to bind our parts.  And if we share the days, then we will not walk away, but towards your love. Into the river of God we are a part.  Come and shine with me and hold us near the dreams, we are standing still, to be near all the drills (exercises). Let us exercise our love to know the great divine. Let us be one kind of heavenly shine. And I will bind the hearts to every single dart, those who aim with hate, let us not be late.  For I will share my love and overthrow their hate, because love does bind, oh let heaven shine. Upon the hill this day, I will shine a ray, upon my soul, upon the willing heart that is bold. And I will be with you, forever true it's blue, my soul is divine, because I love you this time.  And when you walk away, then how will you travel and say, " We are one heart. We are perfectly a part."  Then all be one true, my heart is love in the blue, heaven hold me near you. Heaven hold me near true.  We are going home to love, where we start to gift from above, heaven in me, it's true. Heaven in me, it's blue (true blue).  We are one heart you see, heavenly company, hold me close to you. Hold me close to you. And I will stand upon this hill, just to make my heart a drill, one more exercise, to bind our hearts this time.  We are part of loving grace, come now bow and feel the taste of true love in you and me. Come bow down for all to sea. I come to shine for you. My heart is willing to, because a trevil* of love. I will show God above.



* Trevil: treble/refined sound/musical note/high note/heavenly/large power cord/plug into God/the Great traveler.

White Buffalo Calf Woman Sings for the Heart of Holiness David Running Eagle Shooting Star our Father Red Hand who drums, but he had trouble drumming for himself, even when I asked him to go through my heart, finally I asked him to sit in the middle of many children, then his beat was a child, swept off his feet. Enjoy the song. Aho and over the rainbow!
 

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Join us on the Hoops and Learn about Evolution

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Father Red Hand, walking in the trees (among the trees of life), kissing (unification), here is my heart, going two (united) by three (dream is born), walking along, giving love to thee. Father Red Hand purifying love, flowing and glowing (red fire) and driving all that's bad (purification bring all home), home to the heart beat (pounding heart flows life), where all belongs and keeps, inside the blood (red road, the law of love). There I stand up (rising sun) to the hands of God, where my embrace holds all that I see below. Running Eagle, my Shooting Star does sea, the many children, God gave to liberty.

The Heart That is True, Father Red Hand in the Blue!

Image by Gayle Ford, thank you Gayle!
http://www.garden-share.com/profile/HippieChick

Love you, love you, love you too Holiness David Running Eagle Shooting Star our Father Red Hand who is true,

I send to you a story that is true (blue), the heart of one who bows humbly with you. My heart does pound, when I look at you, for love comes gushing out of you. And stars are meant to shine in the night, but you my beloved are always burning in the light. And what you do to purify the world, the sound of angels that fulfill. And when the song is out for the night, the purification does go on and on. And when it's above and where there is no light, the heart knows how to open up with sight.

Long to hear the butterflies do their rounds, the place of where all comes the SOUND. And whispers come to shadow us in the dark, but we know heaven is always embracing us with each child, the coming of angels the evolution CALLS and gifts us sight (envision our dreams).

Your devoted servant bows down, to share the heart that is filled with frowns, to know that love is great indeed, because we are out there with the LEAVES (relatives on the tree of life), each a child, each a sun, upon this world, the Sacred Tree churns and now it's time to burn, a greater light than has ever been know, the coming of the yellow road, where all are sprung (the souls are set free).

White Buffalo Calf Woman knows in your heart, the rolling green grass the part we full fill, where all is "the devoted rolling hills" (rainbow colors that fill the world).

White Buffalo Calf Woman your Twin Deer Mother
elder crystal child sings
alightfromwithin.org
Rainbow Warriors of Prophecy

On Sun, Nov 27, 2011 at 4:54 AM, Holiness David  wrote: 

Hi Honey,
Here is the picture: Green Wheat Fields

Love you, love you , love you!

Holiness David
Elder Lavender Child
alightfromwithin.org
Rainbow Warriors of Prophecy

"Give all for all, make no exceptions and claim nothing back," says Gerard Groote 1340-1384

Rainbow Warriors of Prophecy

Pray With Elders around the World

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Sacred Song Blessings

Father Red Hand, walking in the trees (among the trees of life), kissing (unification), here is my heart, going two (united) by three (dream is born), walking along, giving love to thee. Father Red Hand purifying love, flowing and glowing (red fire) and driving all that's bad (purification bring all home), home to the heart beat (pounding heart flows life), where all belongs and keeps, inside the blood (red road, the law of love). There I stand up (rising sun) to the hands of God, where my embrace holds all that I see below. Running Eagle, my Shooting Star does sea, the many children, God gave to liberty.

Drums Entwine Heaven and Earth Plus Sunlight is Near Tell Me Your Story

Aho Relatives,
Enjoy the dual drums. Holiness David Running Eagle Shooting Star your Father Red Hand drums the Buffalo Drum, with a soft headed mallet.  White Buffalo Calf Woman your Twin Deer Mother drums the hand drum with a twig.  Holiness David is a lavender child, representative of earth's gate into paradise.  White Buffalo Calf Woman is a crystal child, representative of heaven's door into eternal blissfulness. Together, the drums capture the hearts of Heaven on Earth these days, somber and bewitching.  We are longing for better days, yet, feeling the shifting tides rumble inside our hearts.  It's time for a great change.  Evolution has the upper hand on us. We are the children learning to adapt to the heavenly tides come crashing down on us, on the red road, full of lessons. To bring in treasures, means joy and dance, heavenly measures on the blue road, where our souls lift our hearts into action.  Pick up your feet and join in dance around the world. Bring in joy instead of pain.  You must be a participant to the dream.  Use it or lose it, the saying goes.  We say, joy it or lesson it.  Heaven will take hold of you. It's up to you, to roll the lesson into a treasure. Bow like the rainbow and blow like the wind to begin.

Dance with us in our hearts. And add your own instrument, voice or dance to the beat of the heavenly and earthly drums entwined together on a journey. We are the Rainbow Clan.

your devoted servants,
White Buffalo Calf Woman and Holiness David Father Red Hand
elder crystal child and elder lavender child
alightfromwithin.org Rainbow Warriors of Prophecy

     08052011_DrumsEntwineHeavenAndEarth.mp3

 http://www.divshare.com/download/15462117-341

     08052011_SunlightIsNearTellMeYourStory.mp3

http://www.divshare.com/download/15462247-a13

Father Red Hand, walking in the trees (among the trees of life), kissing (unification), here is my heart, going two (united) by three (dream is born), walking along, giving love to thee. Father Red Hand purifying love, flowing and glowing (red fire) and driving all that's bad (purification bring all home), home to the heart beat (pounding heart flows life), where all belongs and keeps, inside the blood (red road, the law of love). There I stand up (rising sun) to the hands of God, where my embrace holds all that I see below. Running Eagle, my Shooting Star does sea, the many children, God gave to liberty.

Native American Hoop Drum and How to Make Your Own Hand Drum!

Native American Hoop Drums

Native American hoop drums or frame drums of the famous Tarahumara Indians are Native made Indian hoop drums. The Tarahumara Indians are said to be North Americas most primitive people, inhabiting caves and cliff dwellings. Rawhide drums are used during their festivals as a call to gather the people and as an integral part of their ceremony.

When it comes to Native American hand drums, there are many different types and styles available. Different Native Americans made different types of drums and for different purposes. Most often the drums were used in ceremonies and rituals or celebrations of some type. Rawhide drums were very common in most Native American cultures and used in many different types of hand drums. Each of these types of Native American drums is beautiful in its own way and serves an important purpose within the families and tribes, but in general it is the hoop drum that is common to all. The wonder and beauty of Native American hoop drums is not only reserved for Native Americans today, as they are sharing their work with other people of the world. Some of the most famous hoop drums are Tarahumara Indian drums. Their drum festivals draw people from around the world.

What are Hand Drums? Native American hand drums are sometimes called frame drums and throughout Native American history have been a traditional style hoop drum. They are often used in ceremonies and celebrations as well as for meditation or medicine with most Native Americans. In modern society, they are used to teach people about the American Indian culture and often even used as decoration. In some cases, the drums are even used for art projects because the rawhide makes a great canvas for painting and decoration. In the history of Native Americans, drums just like the hoop drum were used for many different things. They were an essential part of the Native American culture and way of life and still remain so today. There are many spiritual, emotional and health-related benefits to drumming and hoop drums are a great way to achieve this.

How are Hand Drums Made? Native American drums are all exquisitely hand made by the tribes that create them, each drum is unique. Tarahumara hoop drums are made by bending a piece of yellow pine into a hoop and rawhide is stretched and laced for heads. A handle is made from rawhide lacing and the drum is played by holding it vertically and tapping or "drumming" the sides. Hoop drums come in many different sizes but the standards are usually from 7” to 28” with 16” to 24” being the most popular among Native American hand drums. Thank you
http://www.missiondelrey.com/native-american-hoop-drums.html

White Buffalo Calf Woman Sings!


Beat my drum and hum along, I feel my heart does pound. It's heaven's sound, my heart goes dong, the beat of a river that flows, the magical place that grows.  


I beat my drum to hear the world, the place, I love to bee/dream. My soul does long to feel the song, where drums are here to keep, our feet on the easy street.  Red road come home to me.  I want to feel the breeze, as long as I beat, the heart of what it means, my song will billow in the wind!

Native American Shahman Style Hand Drum (Build Along) ... With Video Clip Playing Drum

PaleoPlanet & Musical Instruments & Native American Shahman Style Hand Drum (Build Along) ... With Video Clip Playing Drum

Well, after playing many drums and checking out many drums in the stores (for several hundreds of dollars) I decided I had to have my own drum. There are alot of beliefs about drums, there use, and what they mean. I will let ya all come to your own conclusions on that matter. 

First thing I needed to decide was what size drum I wanted. I want a nice deep booming sound, so I went with the 20 inch drum. I don't have enough of a woodshop to make my own hoop and I don't have the steaming equipment needed to make my own. So, I found this local place (with the help of hootie) and picked up a really nice hoop for a decent price. 

http://www.furandhide.com/showcat.asp?id=2 

Here is the hoop I decided on. It's 20 inches by three inches deep. I used this to determine what size drum head I would need. Since the drum was 20 inches and the sides are 3 inches, and I wanted at least a 1 inch overhang in the back. I needed a 28 inch drum head. 

I had to soak all my lacing and drum head prior to putting the whole thing together. It only took me about three hour in some warm water to get the rawhide into a proper workability. Prior to soaking the drum head I evenly spaces holes and punched them into the rawhide with a leather punch. I places them about 1 inch back from the edge so they would be less likely to rip out after lacing and drying. 

 

Because of the style of lacing I decided on, I needed to run a piece of rawhide lace all the way around the outside, weaving it in and out of the holes I punched until I went all the way around. 

 

 

Once I finished lacing the outer ring, I placed the drum hoop in the center (as close as I could get) and pulled the lacing tighter and tied it off. The edge of the drum head then began to fold over the outter edge of the hoop. The head looks like it is off center but I had to cut the drumhead a little off round because of a flaw in the hide. 

 

Once I got the drum head centered on the hoop and the outer ring (which was made of thicker rawhide lacing because I figured it would be less likely to cut through the rawhide when it dries) I began to work out the wrinkles a little and then I started lacing around the inside of the drum. I ran the thinner inner lacing through the thicker lacing and then across the drum to the other side and worked my way around the whole thing. 

 

Once I got it laced all the way around, I tied the two ends of the outter lacing together to complete the inner lacing. 

 

Once the inner lacing was done, I used some of the left over thicker lacing to center and seperate the inner lacing into groups of five laces. I wove the piece of thick lacing in and out of the groups of laces until they formed a nice crisscross in the middle. The held the inner lacing centered and allowed it to dry this way. 

 

Eventually, after the whole thing dries, I will see how it is tuned and how it sounds. If I need to tighted up the drumhead, I can then take these groups of five laces and wrap them together to form an X on the back of the drum. This will pull the laces together tighter and tighten the drum head if needed. 

Here is a shot of the face of the completed drum. I through my two drum sticks on there for a better pic. The whole thing is still wet. I will need to set it on our freezer in the laundry room to dry for the next day before I can tell if it turned out ok. 

 

Here is a closer look at the two drum sticks. While I was waiting for the drum hoop to arrive in the mail, I went out in the yard and cut a couple of maple branches to use for sticks. One is peeled and the other I left the bark on. I rolled some buckskin around the end and then wrapped a piece over it and tied it off with some fake sinue. I did the same thing for the fringe. One is heavy the other is light. I figure it will give a little choice on how to play it. 

 

Comments and impressions are welcome. When the whole thing dries, I will try to put a little .wav file on here to let ya all hear what it sounds like. I chose this style of lacing because I felt it would help reduce the pressure on the holes in the drum head and would help reduce the risk of a lace tearing out a hole when drying. 

One last note. I tied everything so it was snug. But, I did not pull everything so tight that it would be the tightness of a finished drum. Fight the urge to pull everything so tight that when it shrinks, you may have stuff tear out on ya. This is my first drum. So, it may or may not work out. 

Thanks for lookin. Hope this helps someone else. Mutt.vets  
 Wow, that looks nice. I've tanned lots of hides, but never thought to turn one of the rawhides into a drum. You've inspired me! 

-Eric "Sitting Coyote" Eric Garza

It took me longer to make this tutorial than it did to put the drum together. Once you got your stuff ready and all soaked and ready to go. It only takes like 20 minutes to get er done. I gave it a test tap this morning. Everything is nice and tight and it sounds nice. The rawhide isn't 100 percent dry yet so I won't mess with it too much till tomorrow. It'll take a full 24 hours for it to cure completely. 

P.S. You should stick to the name "sitting coyote", that was a pretty cool name. It fit this forum well. Mutt.vets  

the only drawback i see is the possibility of the main line breaking and it all coming lose. but if it was thick and wide enough it shouldn't be a problem. nice job! panbreaux

panbreaux ..... the main string is as thick as it is wide. When I got ahold of it, I realized it was way too thick to use as a crisscross lace. It's a little bit smaller around than a normal pencil. But, if it were to break, I could probably resoak everything (which would be a huge pain in the @ss) and retry it. The inner laces are the same thickness as the drum face. If one of them were to break, I think I could add in a piece to patch the broken lace. 

I went out for the day. When I got home, the whole drum was completely dry. I checked every lace to make sure there weren't any rips broken laces. Everything is tight and dry. I finally got the chance to give it a good smack with a drum stick. I was suprised with the deep booming sound that came out of this drum. You feel the vibrations go all the way up your arm. I have the ability to tune it by wrapping the laces in the back tighter, but I don't think that will be necessary. Now I just need to decide whether or not I am going to paint the drum face or just leave it plain.  Mutt.vets 

very kool. nice workmanship  rwaterman00

 I took some video with my digital camera. The mic in the camera isn't that good. The drum actually sounds better in real life than in the video. 

Here's the video if you want to hear it ................ I play from the center (deep booming bass) to the edge (nice higher pitch) and back to the center. You hear the tone go from bass to a higher pitch and then back to bass. The bass isn't picked up as well by the camera, but the higher pitches turned out really good. It's kinda frustrating cause I want to show how good this thing sounds and can't get my (cheap) equipment to do what I want. Well enjoy ............. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy4NQbAVT2c&feature=player_embedded   Mutt.vets

Great tutorial and thanks for all the work you put into that. That's a nice looking drum! eskimoboy

 

as thick as it is it won't give out anytime soon. sounds great! you may want to find all your sweet spots and then paint it. you can either use the paint to mark the spots or be able to avoid the spots to save the paint. dyes hold up a bit better than paint, but sometimes they bleed into areas you don't want when you're trying to stay in a line. markers bleed leaving a fuzzy line too. most inks leave nice clean lines. 

panbreaux

What about using a sharpie?? I was playing around with a little left over piece of hide and noticed that sharpies seem to mark really well on the hide. But, I am just wondering what it will do over time or if it get wet or something.  

Thanks for all the compliments and the help earlier on. Mutt.vets 

sharpie may bleed, but a laundry marker probably won't. try different things on scrap and see how it goes. you may want to wet the scarp after it dries to see if it will bleed. if you play it outside and it gets dew or a rain sprinkle it may run. it won't hurt the drum if it gets wet, but could make for some ugly rain kissed art, lol. panbreaux

thinned acrylics work well. think wash rather than paint. too thick and it's too prone to flaking. if you find your drum too lose when you wish to play it, gently warm it over a heat source. it doesn't take much. if the drum is too tight then wrap it in plastic for a while with a damp cloth. If it proves to be too loose on the time there is a simple way of tightening the drum. gather groups of the laces and tighten them together by wraping them as a group with artifical sinew. finally always remember is something happens to the drum, you can always re-use the hoop. also the existing drumhead can become the lacing for a future drum 

Mutt, commendable job and I like the design. You did yourself well.

Incidently, when I make drums I don't put the holes for the laces any set distance apart. Rather I punch one, then directly opposite that one I punch another. 90 degrees from those I punch two more. Now we have 4 equally spaced holes. I divide the distance between those and end up with 8, the once more for a total of 16 equally spaced holes. This number works for drums up to about 20" across. Some years back I made a couple of 24 " diameter drums and didn't think there were enough holes so I doubled it one final time for 32 holes. It was a pain stringing it but when finished I was very pleased with the result. I also sometimes make small 8" drums and will only put 8 holes into the drum head. 


I prefer to use multiples of 4 for a number of reason. Sharpies work okay. Bleeding is minimal. Mister Owl

 awesome thanks alot......the drum u made me i can feel the vibrations in the air all the way through my bones....i love it and more importantly my son loves it (it was a Bday present for him) Mitakuye oyasin dliwehtfollac

 Thanks for the info guys. I couldn't have done it right the first time without all the recommendations and directions that were provided by everyone that helped me. I have a small patch of hide I'm gonna test out some drawing items on. Wet it, rub it, twist it ... you know .... torture test and see what works well, what hold up, what bleeds and what stays. 

Lesson's learned. 

1. Using different types of hide for the different part of the drums make the different pieces react differently. The drum head is deer. The thick lace is elk. The thin laces are horse. They all wetted different, elk took forever to soak till soft. The elk didn't stretch much or shrink much but the horse did. Next time I will use the same hide for all the pieces. I didn't have any problems, but I can deffinitely see the potential and as it was drying, I was hoping nothingh would go sideways. 

2. Just doing math and measuring what you think is an equal distance for all the holes does not in fact ensure you will get that in the end. If I could do it all over again, I would do it the way hootie describes. In the end, the lacing ends up much more evenly spaced than it did on mine. I like the way mine turned out. But, the laces aren't exactly even and I miscounted and had one too thick lace loops. I needed one more loop (on the drum head for the thick lace) to keep it even and I had to tie the last two ends of the thin laces together near the edge to finish the lacing. I looks OK but I wanted them to end up meeting in the middle ..... so if you actually count my laces, there is an odd number. That, and the drum head being slightly out of round really gave me headaches while assembling everything. 

3. Don't put the thing by the wood stove or radiator or it could rip. Letting it dry in the laundry room and then later in our bedroom (where we keep it much cooler) allowed it to dry slowly over about 36 hours. You could hear it complain, bong, ping and pop (every now and then) as it slowly dried and things were shrinking and shifting into place. 

4. Don't wait so damn long to do it. Get yourself some hide and a hoop and make one. If I'd have known it was this easy, I'd have 100 drums by now. I love the sound and the way it runs up your arm. I can't wait till the next Veterans Pow Wow, I am gonna see if they will let me join in with thier drummers. I can't wait to bust this thing out around the camp fire at the next knap in. I am probably gonna make a couple other smaller ones (for the wife and others to borrow at festivities). 


I think my next drum will be using a large bottle guord. Flip it upside down, fat end up. Cut the bottom off the fat end and the top off the skinny end. Put a hide over the fat end and a loop around the middle. Then string the drum head by zig zaggin up and down the side. I saw in another post where a person put some beads on the laces that way they could loosen or tighten as needed. It was a really nice design. Problem is, I don't have any gourds and can't really get them around here. So, if anyone has any and want to trade or sell a couple let me know. I also want to try and make a canteen from one Mutt.vets 

Great drum and build along! Legba 

And thank you http://paleoplanet69529.yuku.com/topic/30968

Native American Drum Blessing Ceremony -Article

Native American Drums are a very important part of Native life and culture. They are respected for their beauty and spiritual connection to nature and the drummer. Recently, we had the pleasure of helping a very special family with a 42" drum who wrote to share how much the drum meant to them and how their family had a drum blessing ceremony according to Native Tradition.

We opened it up carefully and assembled the drum on the stand. Beautiful drum! Our children could not wait to try it out so we went ahead and gave the drum a blessing ceremony the way it's done with Native American Indians. And then, we played the drum. It is loud! We would know because four out of five members of our family are deaf. We are going to really enjoy this instrument for many years to come.

I am thankful for the privilege of purchasing such a wonderful drum. Not only is it crafted with beautiful cedar but it has a powerful voice. We're very pleased with it. You are more than welcome to share our comments with others so that they will know about these wonderful drums.

As for the blessing ceremony we gave the drum it was done to purify the drum so that the voice that comes out of the drum will represent the good things that the Great Spirit has to share with us. To do so, we set the drum on native rugs surrounded by individual native mats for each drummer. When everything was set and ready, everyone left the room and then we re-entered the room with everyone walking in a straight line as we circled around the drum (clockwise pattern) until everybody had completely circled the drum in a complete way.

With each one of us standing before the drum I stood toward the east and lit up the tobacco / sage and used a dedicated feather to fan generated smoke toward the drum and then I would fan the smoke toward the east to thank the east for new life and hope. Then, we all would move to our left where I was facing the south as I fanned smoke toward the south to thank it for the warmth, which represents growth and comfort. Then we would move to our left again where I would face the west as I fanned smoke toward the west to thank it for the next life that the west represents. And finally we moved to our left to where I was facing the north, fanned the smoke toward the direction to thank it for the cold which it produces and represents water and moisture that we receive.

As we all circled once more to our left I found myself facing the east again and I started to say a prayer. In this prayer we asked our grandmother (a native of Cherokee & Commache) to represent the voice of our drum. From there we felt the presence of strong spirit knowing that the invitation had been accepted. We were so humbled by this experience. Needless to say that we found ourselves with tears of joy. From there I fanned the smoke toward the drum once more before I started to sprinkled dried tobacco and sage on the drum from all four directions as we circled the drum once again. And then, afterwards, we sat on our individual drumming mats, wanting to be as close to the earth rather than to be seated on a chair.

Each one of us picked our drum sticks as we did this clockwise (left direction around the drum) I started with the first beat to be followed by the second beat by my wife, followed by our eldest daughter with the third beat, and then the fourth beat and fifth beat were done by my two boys. Then immediately afterwards we beat in unity, producing one of the most beautiful sounds we've heard in our house. This drumming lasted until around midnight as we found ourselves overjoyed with wonderful music that was so glorious in our deaf ears. The drum you picked out for us has made us whole and complete. We thank you for that.

I'll be sure to let others know about this wonderful drum of the Tarahumara Indians. All the best to you and yours, B. -Arizona. Thank you http://www.missiondelrey.com/native-american-drum-ceremony.html


The drum, the beating sound of the heart and the soul. The instrument for connecting the rhythm of life. For centuries the drum has been used to amplify the voice and synchronize the heart beat of man to the natural rhythms of the earth. The drum is a part of native heritage from tribal cultures all over the world. This single sided shaman drum is a traditional native drum using a wooden hoop or frame and a stretched rawhide head and lacing. Covered on only one side, the back is laced to form the symbol of a medicine wheel with the four cardinal directions that also serve as a hand hold. Here are a few backings of your hoop drum design.

Some Drum Designs

                           

Rainbow Warriors of Prophecy

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Father Red Hand, walking in the trees (among the trees of life), kissing (unification), here is my heart, going two (united) by three (dream is born), walking along, giving love to thee. Father Red Hand purifying love, flowing and glowing (red fire) and driving all that's bad (purification bring all home), home to the heart beat (pounding heart flows life), where all belongs and keeps, inside the blood (red road, the law of love). There I stand up (rising sun) to the hands of God, where my embrace holds all that I see below. Running Eagle, my Shooting Star does sea, the many children, God gave to liberty.