BellaOnline Forums Travel and Culture Native American Power Of The Drum

Some believe that the drum is the heartbeat of Mother Earth. When you hear the beat of a drum at a powwow or other ceremony, how does it make you feel?

The drum seems to incorporate all of my pressure points or chakras. So, I'll feel it in my throat, abdomen, temples, feet and it brings centeredness.

When I lived in the country there was a low huming noise. It's hard to put sound into words, but it would sound like hummmm..EEhum..hum..EEhum.

sometimes it drove me nuts, so I shut the fuse box off, the well outside, the box to the barn electricity and the property street light to see if it was any of those things. It was deathly quiet all around. I went to the upstairs bedroom because the sound was especially loud in one of the closets up there and it was still making the same repeticious beat or humming.

It had me wondering if that wasn't in fact the sound of the Earth or at least that portion of it? I could very easily see that sound simulated with a drum beat.

The Drum beat is a natural tranquilizer for me. All the stress melts away and at times it feels like it's just me and the drum. Perhaps a good word is Centering, or maybe Connecting, as it's simultaneously Singular and Communal. It's hard for me to articulate the unique feeling. It is felt so deep within and throughout. If it's possible for us to feel something so encompassing, as to be experienced at a cellular level, it might be the Drum.

There is an artist who frequents the little Pow-Wow we attend. He uses white paper and a black pen. His exquisite artwork is created with dots, each one to a beat of the Drum.

It gives me a sense of home...even at my very first Pow Wow, my first time hearing the drums up close and personal, it felt like home. It was in the middle of July and at least 80 plus degrees and I had goose bumps from head to toe. The person who had brought me said to me "Looks like you were due for a pow wow"

That is a heartfelt way of describing the power of the drum, Wendy.

I love that story where the Drum came forward when Creator was assigning important responsibilities to all Creation. Creator asked Drum, "What can you do for the world?" Drum said, "I can send the voice of the people to you and can be the heartbeat of Mother Earth."

You made me realize that I feel like I also get a sense of home when I hear the Drum and feel the vibrations. It seems to center me and puts all in balance.