Day 16. Drumming the Heartbeat of the Earth.
The drum is not an instrument-it is a heartbeat. Its rhythm mirrors the pulse of the Earth, the steady thrum of life. Across Indigenous nations, drumming unites communities in ceremony, prayer, and celebration. Each beat carries intention: healing, remembrance, gratitude.
“Nothing can function without that heartbeat. It’s not just hearing the drums, but you’re feeling it throughout your entire body, and that just connects you more with the spirit connection.” – Tim Taggart, Ojibwe Elder
The Sacred Circle
At a powwow, the drum sits at the center, surrounded by singers and dancers. The circle around it symbolizes the universe itself, every being connected through sound and spirit. The drum reminds us that community moves in rhythm, not hierarchy.
The drum is often called the heartbeat of Mother Earth, symbolizing the rhythmic unity of life and the spiritual connection between all beings. Its rhythms facilitate healing and realignment of the four realms of human existence: mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical.
Echoes of Interdependence
For Unitarian Universalists, drumming offers a spiritual metaphor: the heartbeat of interdependence that calls us back to one another. When we join in collective rhythm-through song, service, or solidarity-we echo the sacred heartbeat that sustains all life.
Reflection: What rhythms-of community, of justice, of love-are you keeping alive?
“The spirits are with me and I feel even stronger when I drum and sing.” – WIldflower Women Turtle Island Drum Group
Learn More
- Explore the ONWA Virtual Drum Book – The Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA) offers this resource featuring beautiful songs and teachings provided by their territory. The drum book encourages users to listen, learn the songs using the provided lyrics, and follow along with a drum while watching the accompanying videos.
- Watch Airileke and the 1000 Tifa – the story of Papuan/Australian musician Airileke Ingram and his drive to use the traditional tifa-drum to restore pride and energy in Melanesian identity as it falters under the pressures of westernization. Airileke returns to his village of Gabagaba to inherit his late uncle’s drum. With West Papuan drum maker Denis Koibor he is a on a mission to bring the traditional tifa-drum back to his people, to strengthen their Papuan culture against the corrosive forces of neo-colonialism. This short film was created for 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in QLD, Australia. Written and directed by Charlie Hill-Smith.
- Enjoy The Significance of the Drum – a freat read about how the drum is considered a living entity that connects the community to the Earth Mother and ancestors.
- Discover Powwow Trail by The Black Lodge Singers,one of the most successful powwow drum groups in North America. This album is a highly recommended example of their powerful Northern Plains music.
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