The beat of a different drum
Drum-making workshop inspires First Nations youth to learn more about traditions and culture
Ten-year old Curtis Bernard couldn’t contain his excitement when he came home with the first hand drum he had ever made.
“He was so, so proud of his drum he showed me. Then, my mom lives next door so he went to show her,” said Bernard’s mother, Gabrielle Young.
“He said, ‘Mom, I worked so hard on this. I did it all by myself. My hands are sore from making it.’
“I know what it feels like, you have to pull really hard to tighten it. He’s right little, so he had to give it all, I guess.”
Bernard was one of the boys who attended the first of three hand drum-making workshops held at the Sarah Denny Cultural Centre on Nov. 18 and Nov. 19. he first was for men and boys, the second for residential school survivors, the last for Elders.
“Curtis loved it. I think he plays his drum every morning … His room is downstairs and I can hear him from upstairs, banging his drum, practising,” said Gabrielle.
“He kept saying, ‘The drum, I was thinking of my grandmother when I was making my drum, her heartbeat.’”
The workshops were funded by Indian Native Affairs Canada (INAC) and put on by the family violence prevention program in Eskasoni. They hired Brian Knockwood, from Indian Brook First Nation, a part of the
Sipekne’katik band, as lead instructor.
“We want to bring back our traditions. A lot of the young boys were saying this is a really good workshop,” said Chakira Young, project co-ordinator
with family violence prevention.
“One little boy came up and said, ‘This was the best thing I have ever done in my life,’” added Knockwood, smiling.
Knockwood is one of the
original drum keepers and founder of the Eastern Eagle Singers who have been together for 25 years. For 13 years he has been running these workshops.
During the workshops, Knockwood and his team teach respect, patience and how to take care of yourself and your drum.
“The drum, it represents the heartbeat of Mother Earth. There is a big spiritual and traditional aspect to it and there’s a lot of teachings that go along during their journey while making their drum,” he said.
“The journey … it’s just not assembling some materials together. I think that’s why people like the workshops we do.”
Popularity for the workshops, which have been done at First Nations communities in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick as well as for some non-First Nations organizations, has grown a lot over the last few years. Knockwood said they used to do four or five a year. In 2016, they did 14. So far this year they’ve held 20.
Chakira said she received many messages from parents telling her how much their sons loved the workshop. Three of the boys were so inspired to learn more about their Mi’kmaq traditions that she took them to their first sweat that same night. Bernard was one of them.
“I was so nervous because it’s a big thing, right, a sweat. I didn’t even attend my first sweat until I was 14 and he’s 10,” said Gabrielle.
“I am so proud of him … he is getting to learn at a young age which is so, so good.”