Greetings Tribal Members,

I hope things are going well and everyone is in good health. As a native people we are all a family. As we go through these trying times with Covid and the uncertain economy please keep each other in your hearts and mind.  

As this series continues, I will include stories, words, and updates on happenings of interest. For this edition I am including a story which talks about the “Water Drum”. Each song and dance of our people have been part of our internal being since the beginning. If you break down each part of a dance or a song it has stories, prayers, or symbolic meaning. The water drum is used in almost all of our ceremonials and is tied by the singer. So the next time you hear the singers singing think about what is behind the sound. This story I received from the faith keepers.

The Water Drum

The water drum used in ceremonials, is a symbol of life and all aspects of life. The drum container, whether a hollowed tree trunk, crock jar, or iron kettle represents the body of the Indian people and the pot that holds the corn and meat while it cooks, to feed the people that they might live. The water inside the drum represents the fluid necessary to all life, water itself.

In the water are placed four small stones, representing the four seasons, four phases of the moon, the four directions, the four sisters (corn, beans, squash, and pumpkin), the four winds, the four corners of the world and the four phases of human life (youth, child bearing years, old age, death).

The deerskin stretched so tightly across the top of the drum represents the animals provided for food, clothing and housing. The rope used to tie the head and pull it tight represents the road of life from beginning to end, strings of the bow, and the thread that binds our clothing.

The top or head of the drum is painted with red the color of the sun that lights the way, so life can be. Inside the circle is painted an X with the center of the X representing God as the center of our life, and all creation.

The drum is the symbol of existence. The body, soul, and all the existing components of life and religion of the Indian people. The drum is also the symbol of God's gift of song; the drum beat is the beat of the heart of the Indian people.

Nya-Weh,

Tuh’l-no- sohn-dee

Ceremonial Chief 

Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma