Watchlist: ‘Represents our heartbeat: Native American group discusses importance of drums’

By Kamiah Koch

Social media/digital journalist

Grand Ronde’s three-day annual Contest Powwow at the uyxat Powwow Grounds concluded Sunday, Aug. 18, and my ears are still ringing from the thunderous sounds of the drums.  

“The drum beat represents our heart beat and our connection with mother earth,” Joaquin Rojas said in an 2023 ABC10 interview about the significance of Indigenous drumming.

Rojas, who has been singing and drumming since he was 5 years old, is a lead singer in a Native group called the Red Hoop Singers in Sacramento, California. Their mission is to teach drumming and singing, as well as ways to respect the drum itself.

An image of a powwow drum is shown wrapped in a blanket. The video explains that drums are treated as Elders are treated.

“We wouldn’t leave our Elders out in the cold without a blanket, we wouldn’t leave our Elders alone” Rojas says. “We carry our drum with us, we keep it warm.”

As a Tribal member and reporter for Smoke Signals, I have often seen powwow drums at Grand Ronde events wrapped in a blanket when not being used. I have also seen drummers set their hand drums on a chair in the sun while singing at the achaf-hammi plankhouse. I remember them informing me the drum needed to warm up. At the time I assumed this to mean the hide would sound better when it was warmed, now I understand it was a sign of respect.

The ABC10 video explains that drums have been used for generations for ceremonies, celebrations and gatherings.

“We use our drum for everything in our community,” Rojas said. “If we are able to sing for our community, we are there. Part of being a singer in our culture is a responsibility to show up when we are needed, to be there when we are needed and when we are called on, to always share our songs.”

Rojas explained that by singing, they are lifting the prayers and positive thoughts to whomever needs it. He said that before Western medicine was introduced, music and dance is what was used to heal Native people. 

Another Red Hoop Singers member, Stoney Dodson, said the drum is his connection to Native identity.

“It has been there for me in times when I needed to heal me; I needed something to turn to that was positive,” Dodson said.

The video explained there are a variety of drums used for different occasions.

You can find out more about the various drums and their uses by watching the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feMXRNIr8-4.