Aho! Have you ever wondered how to make a hand drum? What gives it its beautiful sonority? In this post I show you how to make a “Ca ce gah”, a Lakota style drum. The preparation for these drums begin in the summer when we treat the hide so that is suited for drum making. I use buffalo hide for large powwow drums. While buffalo rawhide is used for the strips that tie the hand drum cover, elk rawhide is better suited for the cover of  smaller drums.   In between are several other steps, but I share with you the final 15 steps of making a well crafted signature hand drum. As  with any fine  musical instrument the quality of the drum sound depends on a selection of suitable materials as well as expertise. Indeed the Lakota word “ca”, signifies wood and in the case of drums it should be of very good quality. Maple wood is a good choice for the shells. On the other hand, the drum sticks are made from branches of choke cherry bushes, which are native to this land and its fruit is  considered sacred. Hence, this is a good choice for striking the hand drum.  In other words, much thought and technique goes into the crafting of a hand drum. Not only that, every drum, no matter what its size tells its story when it’s made with love.

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Kelly Looking Horse -Founder Lakota Red Nations

Wakpamni Lake, Pine Ridge, South Dakota

By Kelly Looking Horse

start with a shell made from maple wood

signature and dedication

elk rawhide cut to size for 9″-13″ drums

center shell on rawhide cover place ring (made from buffalo hide) in the center

string cover with buffalo rawhide straps

tighten the cover important to get the right tension in stringing

continue stringing a unique design, making sure the tension supports the cover

note how the stringing is done every other flap

begin second stringing with thicker strands of buffalo hide cut in strips

note how the strips are knotted

continue stringing the buffalo rawhide strips making sure the tension is correct

secure final knot for this stringing

begin stringing third tension from ring inward, check tension before finishing

now complete tension iwht a well secured knot in the center, this will complete the medicine wheel design

finished hand drum