For Indigenous Peoples in present-day British Columbia, drums are more than communication tools and musical instruments; they are tools for a lifelong connection to and relationship with all living things.
(source Indigenous Tourism BC)
One of the learnings from our CLBC Innovation Grant – Person Centered Planning through an Indigenous Lens – was that the people we support who are Indigenous wanted to learn more cultural teachings. At the top of their list was learning to make a drum.
Over the 3 sessions, Bill guided the participants through the steps to make a drum and drumstick, shared teachings about the drum and spent an afternoon teaching songs. Being together in a good way brought everyone closer and strengthened connections to community and culture.
If you are interested in joining the group and participating in their next activities, contact Eilidh Nicholson.
At the end of May, Dallas took his drum to Nanaimo and opened the Spectrum presentation at the Inclusion BC Conference with a song. You can read more about Lindsay, Eilidh and Dallas’s presentation here.
WHAT IS TAUGHT DEPENDS ON WHO THE TEACHER IS; WHAT IS LEARNED DEPENDS ON WHO THE LEARNER IS. THE TEACHINGS OF THE DRUM NEVER END. (Also from Indigenous Tourism BC)