As written by WSS sister Jennifer Sundstrom:
The drum had always called her. As a young woman, she knew she walked with drums. Filled with the kind of excitement and confidence one has when they know their path, she pronounced her plan to be a drum carrier. Her community said she must wait, for she was too young, too inexperienced, too arrogant to assume she could be in such a role. But one woman, Ave Maria, saw a kindred spirit and offered to share the drum she carried, Buffalo Heart, so the young woman could experience and learn the sacred teachings of carrying a drum.
So, she co-walked with Buffalo Heart, and learned. Life happened. She birthed more children, went back to school, started a business. She met other drums along the way, letting them teach her. After seven years of learning and maturing, still the drum in her heart called for a deeper commitment of carrying her own drum. She knew it was time.
She watched for the signs and began collecting the pieces she thought she would need to birth her own drum. The sacred tools of hammer, punch, and scissors, brought to her by the Amazons. A frame fashioned from the bodies of the tree brothers. Hides from the horse family. She didn’t bother telling anyone this time. She knew her path and was not going to invite or listen to other people’s doubts and opinions.
One day, she felt the tug of Spirit, and was called to travel to a far distant town, several hours journey from her home. There she found a remarkable frame, exquisitely made. Of course, doubt crept in…I already have one frame, do I really need this one? Do I really need to spend money on another frame? Used to following the nudges of Spirit, she sighed, and bought the frame despite her doubts, and began the long journey home. Along the way, she was given a vision of how the drum was to be fashioned.
This was to be a lineage drum, healing the lineage of women, from grandmothers, to mothers, to daughters, beginning with her own lineage. The directions on the drum are usually indicated with colored fabric attached to the handles. Yellow for East, the direction of new beginnings, spring, and inspiration. Red for South, the fire-y passions of summer, and transformation. Blue for West, the watery introspections of autumn, fullness, and preparing to release. White for North, the bones of the earth, rock, and the ancient wisdom of the ancestors.
For this drum, according to the vision received, the directions would be painted on the drum itself, with the foot. Only the left foot, to be sure, and each of the footprints should be going the same direction, so that when the insteps are all facing up, forming four sacred cups, that side of the drum is for ceremony, and when the insteps are all facing down, that side is for community frivolity.
The woman gathered her children, and they practiced painting their left foot and transferring the footprint to paper. When they had practiced sufficiently, it was time to paint the directions on the frame.
- The two littles got a yellow foot and blue hand in the east.
- The young maiden, a red footprint in the south.
- The woman, herself, painted a blue foot and yellow hand in the west.
- And the woman’s crone mother was the white footprint in the north.
The north and south prints should always align with the north and south directions. The east and west directions have both yellow and blue, depending on if the ceremonial side is facing the sky, or community side is being used.
The sky energies were set to align in an eclipse, and the woman knew that auspicious day was the day her drum would be birthed. She shared her plan with her sister friend, who said, ‘That’s amazing! Can I come help?’ With all the societal expectations on women, it’s a sacred practice to learn to accept help from others. All women need support when giving birth, so the woman accepted, then, inspired, invited another women to join. Thus, the three sisters-of-the-heart came together to birth a drum.
They convened in the morning and prepped the birthing chamber, a table to work on, a soft blanket for pieces to rest, sacred implements. Everything and everyone was cleansed with smudge, and the directions were called to witness the work. The women proceeded in a logical manner while relying on their intuition, listening to what the materials were saying, observing how they behaved. The materials being used spoke as to the best way to move forward, and the women listened deeply.
The inside of the frame is a special place, the space to hold the intentions and vision of how the drum will fulfill its purpose during life. With great care, the women listened to the center of their hearts, then with a bit of joy, fun, and sacredness, they wrote, painted, and drew the sacred words and symbols that would guide the work of the drum.
The sky energies moved as the sun was eclipsed, the trees spoke with the wind in their branches, and the horse tribe called out their support as the birth progressed. After many hours of labor, finally SHE was born, and the women lovingly stroked her body, admiring her magnificence.
By the light of the next full moon, HER nature is revealed. The darker skin and the lighter skin, coming together, enclosing sacred space where every beat honors the tree brothers, the horse, the humans, and the land.
Now it was time for the women to rest, and for the new baby mother drum to rest. A moon cycle of rest, before being ready to emerge. Born in the spring, her first introduction to the community would be summer solstice, where SHE would step into the fullness of HER sacred path: healing the lineage of Women.
The Three Sisters-of-the-Heart:
Talia Landau (Drum Carrier)
Jennifer Sundstrom (Support, Witness, Author)
Serefina Song (Support, Witness)
