Crafting a Shamanic Water Drum

Water drums are a category of membranophone characterized by the filling of the drum chamber with some water to create a unique sound. Water drums are common in Native American music, being the traditional drum for the Ojibwa, Ottawa, Pottawatomii, Huron and Iroquois. It’s used today in both traditional Longhouse social dances and the Native American Church. Wooden water drums are made either by hollowing out a solid section of a small soft wood log, or assembled using cedar slats and banded much like an old keg. This youtube video shows how to construct a Log Water Drum of the Woodland Native Americans.