# The Drum ~ Ojibway Style.



## Rednecklace (Nov 13, 2007)

The Drum

The beat. 
The back bone. 
It goes to song. 
It goes to life.
Pain, Love, and Glory.
Don’t think twice.
~Red.

Told to me by an Ojibway person at a teaching circle (-With my own little twist-), is the story of how the drum for our people came to be. -According to Ojibway teachings.-
There was war among the Ojibway and Sioux people. One Ojibway woman didn’t like it. She saw her loved ones fighting and dying in this war, and decided that something had to be done. She went to seek for an answer from the Creator. And fasted for about forty days in the bush, before she seen what she went there to find. All weak with hunger she heard the creator calling out to her. From the sky came the drum. As the drum approached the land, the creator spoke out to her and said, "This drum represents the heart beat of the earth. Life." Before the drum had reached the ground, the woman threw out a blanket for the drum to be placed on and to be protected with. (–The drum should not be touching the earth with it self and, when not in use the drum has to be wrapped with the blanket-). The creator continued to say "for this drum I want you to gather some sticks and make drum sticks to beat on the drum. And with each drum stick that you make, I want you to replace the weapon of the men in your village with a drum stick." The creator then started to sing. "These songs I sing to you, you must teach the men to sing. Let them be heard." Way ha ya ho ya way ha ya hey ha! "You also must go to the Sioux village and teach those men the songs I sing, and to replace their weapons with drum sticks as well. Let them sing together, with the beat of the earth." The woman did as the Creator told her, and the war had stopped. 
The drum was then introduced to the people, song and dance became peace with the beat.
This story told to me by a fellow Ojibway, never got into detail about it with the elder. But it is a teaching of my culture. I like to think that it holds a lot of metaphorical meaning. In the sense that there is a lesson/lessons to be learned from this story, regardless if it is true or not. I don’t know a lot about my culture due to some underlining facts, but as much as I know today. It makes a lot more sense to me then other ways of life. This is one teaching from my culture that has found its way to me. I never looked for it but it is who I am, hence the reason why it probably found its way to me. Growing up in an urban area such as Toronto has given me the opportunity to explore very many different ways. This is one way I definitely relate to.


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