Sandowne School Drums Given Voice Through Traditional Ceremony

Sandowne Elementary students and staff sat together, forming a giant circle in their school gym, to witness and be part of a drum birthing ceremony on April 14. 

Elder Phil Mills and cultural keeper Mavis Aubichon taught the school’s grade 4/5 students over a two-week period how to make 20 drums that will be used by the school to support drumming lessons and other cultural activities and ceremonies. But, before the drums could be used following traditional teachings, the drums needed to be awakened or brought to life within the school and given their individual voices to help teach the students.

Elders Phil Mills and Will Henderson, as well as cultural keeper Mavis Aubichon led the students and staff through the drum birthing ceremony which started with each drum resting during blessings with sage, tobacco, cedar, and sweet grass. After these sacred medicines were placed on the drums, eagle down was spread.

Every action in a drum birthing ceremony is intentional, leading up to the drums making their first sound or taking their first breath.

One student from each drum maker group was taught how to correctly pick up and hold the drums and, going around the circle, each drum was struck for the first time so that students could learn how each drum has their own unique sound.

Led by Elder Phil Mills, the grade 4/5 students then played the same beat simultaneously on all 20 drums, filling the gym with their unified sound for the first time before moving on to drum their first song, the Gratitude Song, with Elder Will Henderson. Students then participated in a call and answer song with Mavis Aubichon.

The ceremony concluded with students collecting the sacred medicines and eagle down that was placed on each drum at the start of the ceremony, placing it in each drum’s storage bag as it will stay in the bag for the life of the drum, and learning the importance of storing the drum skin side up as a sign of respect.

Ǧilakasl̓a to Phil, Will and Mavis for sharing this important ceremony and teachings with Sandowne students and staff and to Dani Shemko, Sandowne’s Indigenous youth worker, for organizing the event.