Natural rawhide native american drums loosen in times of humidity and tighten when heated.
Drum rawhide may become loose or wavy during shipping as they pass through humid parts of the country or as humidity passes through your area.
A hair dryer set on high/heat is the quickest and easiest way to heat/dry a hoop drum for use.
Simply start in the center of the drum a couple of inches from the hide. Keep the dryer moving in small circular motions and slowly move toward the outer edges of the hoop drum until the entire drum hide is tightened. Do the same on both sides. It only takes a few minutes, restores the rawhide drum to the proper tension and can be repeated as often as necessary.
The native people heat the drums in front of a fire before using, to achieve maximum sound quality. The tighter the hide, the stronger the sound will be. But be careful, over tightening causes bent hoops or split hides. Around the fire, a loud pop means someone forgot to keep an eye on their drum.
The world renouned Tarahumara Indians of the Sierra Madre mountain range inhabit a nearly inaccessible region of the copper canyon area bearing their name, Sierra Tarahumara. Today the Tarahumara live in caves and rock out-cropping as well as in small wood and stone cabins in remote areas. Said to be North America’s most primitive people, they live a simple life without modern technology. The Tarahumara Indians use the drums as a call to gather the people. On a clear night during their festivals, you can hear the sound of these Native American drums drifting throughout the mountain villages for miles.
