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Indigenous students use deer hide to make drums

During a drum-making class with students from Oromocto High School’s Indigenous studies class, the photographer became the teacher.

At Oromocto High School, students from the Indigenous Studies class made drums they'll later use for singing

CBC News ·
A young man wearing a red t-shirt and a baseball cap sits at a desk, looping his finger through laces attached to deer hide in the shape of a circle.
Students in Oromocto, N.B., learned how to make traditional drums using deer hide. (Ann Paul/CBC)

This is part of a series called Ann's Eye, featuring the work of Ann Paul, a Wolastoqey content creator. You can see more Ann's Eye pieces by clicking here.

During a drum-making class with students from Oromocto High School's Indigenous studies class, the photographer became the teacher.

Ann Paul, visiting the class as a contributor for CBC News, found herself helping Maliseet students make their drums, having made a few herself in the past. As a drum keeper and singer, she also shared what it means to make a drum.

High school students sit in a row of desks, each in different stages of pulling lace through deer hide to make drums.
'You could see the satisfaction on their faces and the smiles when they were done,' Ann Paul said. The students' teacher, Kim Fraser, tries to provide them with as many Indigenous experiences as possible. (Ann Paul/CBC)

"When you're making your drum, you put your positive energies into your drum," she told the students. "When you're making it, you have to put your prayers and your energies into every lace you do because you're going to be passing these on to people."

Soon, another teacher will visit the students to show them songs to sing with their drums.

WATCH | See Indigenous students use deer hide to make drums: 

Ann’s Eye: Indigenous students get a lesson in drum-making

2 years ago
Duration 1:42
Students from Oromocto High School’s Indigenous studies class learn how to make ceremonial drums.
An array of drum-making materials, including sticks, lace and hide are spread out on a table.
Drums are made using material from nature. Ann Paul could tell deer hide was involved by the smell. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A young man sits at a desk, bent over some lace that's stringing through deer hide.
'Everybody was intrigued,' Ann Paul said. 'It was actually quite fun to get my hands in and help with them as well.' (Ann Paul/CBC)
A woman stands in a classroom in front of a row of students, holding up lace and deer hide.
Students learned from instructor Robin Paul. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A group of students sit at a row of desks, each with lace and deer hide in front of them for drum-making. An woman stands in front of them, holding some lace.
All of the students seemed interested in the drum-making activity, Ann Paul said. 'There were a couple who made them before, a couple who were really into it.' (Ann Paul/CBC)

Ann's Eye

Photographer Ann Paul brings an Indigenous lens to stories from First Nations communities across New Brunswick. Click here or on the image below to see more of her work. 

 

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