Ceremonial drum
Encyclopedia
Ceremonial drums are used in a ritual context by indigenous peoples around the world, often accompanied by singing or chanting.
In the circumpolar regions the drums have been classified by traits such as the knob, frame design, size, membrane motifs, ornaments, etc. There are therefore two main groups of drums: those with internal and those with external knobs. Drums with internal knobs are found amongst the Tjuktjer
in Asia and among North American Inuit
. Drums with external knobs are more widespread and are divided into four types:
The historical Saami
drum, sometimes termed Rune drum
, belonged to the South Siberian kind, Sajano-Yeniseic subtype. (Those are, however, very similar to the Sjoric subtypes.) An interesting note is that the Sami word for drum is 'kannus', 'kobdas' and the Altaic term is 'komus'. The Sami drum-stick term is 'arpa'; the Altaic term is 'orba'.
In the circumpolar regions the drums have been classified by traits such as the knob, frame design, size, membrane motifs, ornaments, etc. There are therefore two main groups of drums: those with internal and those with external knobs. Drums with internal knobs are found amongst the Tjuktjer
Chukchi people
The Chukchi, or Chukchee , ) are an indigenous people inhabiting the Chukchi Peninsula and the shores of the Chukchi Sea and the Bering Sea region of the Arctic Ocean within the Russian Federation. They speak the Chukchi language...
in Asia and among North American Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
. Drums with external knobs are more widespread and are divided into four types:
- West Siberian: (Khant, Mansi, NenetsNenets peopleThe Nenets are an indigenous people in Russia. According to the latest census in 2002, there are 41,302 Nenets in the Russian Federation, most of them living in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Nenets Autonomous Okrug...
) - South Siberian: (groups living above and in the mid regions of the Yenisei RiverYenisei RiverYenisei , also written as Yenisey, is the largest river system flowing to the Arctic Ocean. It is the central of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean...
). This type has many variations (Sajano-Yeniseic, Sjoric, Altaic) - Mid Siberian: This type has two variants, Evenki-Yakutic and Nganasans-Entsic.
- Middle East: (NanayNanayThe Nanay River is tributary river to the Amazon River, west of the Napo in Peru. The Nanay is one of the three rivers that surround the jungle city of Iquitos, making it an island. Other nearby settlements on the river include the villages of Santo Tomás, Padre Cocha, and Santa Clara. During...
ians, Udegeyians, Ulchians, NivkhiansNivkhsThe Nivkh are an indigenous ethnic group inhabiting the northern half of Sakhalin Island and the region of the Amur River estuary in Russia's Khabarovsk Krai. Nivkh were mainly fishermen, hunters, and dog breeders...
, AinuAinu peopleThe , also called Aynu, Aino , and in historical texts Ezo , are indigenous people or groups in Japan and Russia. Historically they spoke the Ainu language and related varieties and lived in Hokkaidō, the Kuril Islands, and much of Sakhalin...
, Evenkians, BuryatsBuryatsThe Buryats or Buriyads , numbering approximately 436,000, are the largest ethnic minority group in Siberia and are mainly concentrated in their homeland, the Buryat Republic, a federal subject of Russia...
ians, Yukagirians, DolganiansDolgansDolgans are a Turkic-speaking people, who mostly inhabit Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. The 2002 Census counted 7,261 Dolgans. This number includes 5,517 in former Taymyr Autonomous Okrug. There are 26 Dolgans in Ukraine, four of whom speak Dolgan .Dolgans speak Dolgan language. Some believe that it is...
, OrochOrochOrochs , Orochons, or Orochis are a small people of Russia that speak the Oroch language of the Southern group of Tungusic languages. According to the 2002 census there were 686 Orochs in Russia.Orochs traditionally settled in the southern part of the Khabarovsk Krai, Russia and on the Amur and...
ians, OrokiansOroksOroks are a people in the Sakhalin Oblast in Russia. The Orok language belongs to the Southern group of the Tungusic language family and is unwritten...
, NegidaliansNegidalsNegidals are a people in the Khabarovsk Krai in Russia, who live along the Amgun River and Amur River...
and Zabaykalska Evenkians, that is EvenkiansEvenksThe Evenks are a Tungusic people of Northern Asia. In Russia, the Evenks are recognized as one of the Indigenous peoples of the Russian North, with a population of 35,527...
from the region far Lake BaikalLake BaikalLake Baikal is the world's oldest at 30 million years old and deepest lake with an average depth of 744.4 metres.Located in the south of the Russian region of Siberia, between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast, it is the most voluminous freshwater lake in the...
, where two types are characteristic: Amursic and Zabaykalic)
The historical Saami
Sami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
drum, sometimes termed Rune drum
Rune drum
The membrane-covered oval or circular rune drum played an important role in Sami ceremonies. It is generally used for the shamanistic Sami ceremonial drum. The term magic drum is an old judicial term for a rune drum in use from the 16th to the 19th century...
, belonged to the South Siberian kind, Sajano-Yeniseic subtype. (Those are, however, very similar to the Sjoric subtypes.) An interesting note is that the Sami word for drum is 'kannus', 'kobdas' and the Altaic term is 'komus'. The Sami drum-stick term is 'arpa'; the Altaic term is 'orba'.