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March 10, 2007

Choosing Pedestal Floor Drums for Culture & Home Decor

Do you enjoy the Native American culture? Do you have Native American relatives or ancestors and you want a great way to honor that culture in your home? Or, even if you just love rustic furnishings, Native American drums can be the way to get the look you want. If you are looking to buy Native American drums, one great option is pedestal or floor drums. Perhaps you have been considering them for yourself but you need to know a bit more about them first. The Tarahumara are excellent craftsman and they are very proud of their pedestal drums. They create beautiful, rich drums that bring Native American heritage to anyone who comes into contact with one. 
 

If you are thinking of getting your own pedestal drums for drumming or for decoration,  you will also want to learn as much about them as possible. It’s important that you respect the drum and care for it properly as well as understand its history if you are going to use it in your home. If you are looking for a new or unique way to decorate your home, spruce up a cabin or office and share some Native American culture, you might consider using Native American drums such as the pedestal drum. When used as furniture, pedestal drums make great tables and give a natural rustic feeling to the room. What exactly is a pedestal drum?
 

What are Pedestal Floor Drums?
Pedestal drums are one type of drum used by the Native Americans in ceremonies and even in their daily lives. Drums represent much to people, particularly Native Americans. They remind us of our mother’s heartbeat; they are soothing and therapeutic and they are also used in many traditional ceremonies within various tribes.
 

Pedestal drums are larger floor drums that are made from slats of wood or hollowed log, usually using a native yellow pine (depending on where the tribe that makes them is located) and cedar. Beautiful rawhide is stretched over each end of the drum and rawhide lacing complete the drum. They may vary in size from 12” to as wide as 42” giving you a variety of sizes to meet your needs as both coffee tables or end tables.


How Are They Used?
So, how are pedestal drums used by Native Americans and in Native American ceremonies? How are they used today in a more modern culture and society? Rustic Native American pedestal drums were used as tom-tom drums in many ceremonies. They produced a different sound from hand drums and provide a great addition to any Native American ceremony with their deep tones.
There are also other uses for these beautiful pedestal drums. These larger, floor-type Native American drums are great for using as furniture in your home. Due to their size and durability, they make great tables and they are perfect for the rustic or Southwest décor. They are very popular in log homes and cabins and also in country cottages, ranch homes, lodges or in any setting where you want a beautiful rustic style.
 

Native American pedestal drums are much more comfortable than today’s modern furniture and they are also more unique and personal. You can add to the décor of the room with other Native American décor such as rawhide lamp shades or southwestern woven rugs, or Indian pottery as well as other items.

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Native American Hoop Drums For Drum Circles

When it comes to Native American hoop drums, there are many different types and styles available. Different Native Americans made different types of drums and for different purposes. Most often the drums were used in ceremonies and rituals or celebrations of some type. Rawhide drums were very common in most Native American cultures and used in many different types of hand drums.  Each of these types of Native American drums is beautiful in its own way and serves an important purpose within the families and tribes, but in general it is the hoop drum that is common to all.  The wonder and beauty of Native American hoop drums is not only reserved for Native Americans today, as they are sharing their work with other people of the world. Some of the most famous hoop drums are Tarahumara Indian drums.  Their drum festivals draw people from around the world.
 

What are Hoop Drums?  Native American hoop drums are sometimes called frame drums and throughout Native American history have been a traditional style hand drum. They are often used in ceremonies and celebrations as well as for meditation or medicine with most Native Americans. In modern society, they are used to teach people about the American Indian culture and often even used as decoration. In some cases, the drums are even used for art projects because the rawhide makes a great canvas for painting and decoration.  In the history of Native Americans, drums just like the hoop drum were used for many different things. They were an essential part of the Native American culture and way of life and still remain so today. There are many spiritual, emotional and health-related benefits to drumming and hoop drums are a great way to achieve this.
 

How are Hoop Drums Made?  Native American drums are all exquisitely hand made by the tribes that create them, each drum is unique.  Tarahumara hoop drums are made by bending a piece of yellow pine into a hoop and rawhide is stretched and laced for heads.  A handle is made from rawhide lacing and the drum is played by holding it vertically and tapping or “drumming” the sides.  Hoop drums come in many different sizes but the standards are usually from 7” to 28” with 16” to 24” being the most popular among Native American hand drums.    
 

The Heritage of Hoop Drums.  Music is a very important part of the Native American culture. Drums were often used as well as flutes. Mothers would use flute music to soothe their babies and drums were used in many different ways for entertainment, spiritual growth and ceremonies as well as to increase and maintain health. Hoop drums are a fantastic piece of Native American history that people of all ages can enjoy.

Copyright 2007 Mission Del Rey

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Rawhide Lamp Shades Create a Southwest or Western Living Room

There is nothing like rawhide lamp shades with their hand stitching and warm tone to make your living room the rustic display of southwest style you’re looking for.  The main features of a western or southwestern living room that brings it life is the lighting and lampshades used along with a few other elements.  If it is a rustic look you are after, the character of natural rawhide will add that look and feel with rustic charm.  Many people go over board when all that is really needed are a few classic focal points in the room and you will be amazed by what a difference rawhide lampshades make.

If you are starting from scratch, you are in for a lot of fun shopping for the various new pieces you will use, but it is also not necessary.  Many styles that may exist in your home décor now may work just fine with southwest style or western tradition.  Your lamps will probably work fine if your budget won’t allow a complete change.  Remember it is the rustic rawhide lamp shade that will catch the eye and make the difference between modern and rustic or country style.

Rawhide color should be considered as you make the transformation to the look you want.  For southwest style it is best to use light colored rawhide shades where as western decorating looks very nice with dark rawhide.  For country décor, either works well and you can even use dyed rawhide shades which are specially suited to arts and crafts style.  If you decide to go with southwest or western shades you should use the same style throughout the room for consistency.   In a country or more colorful setting you can actually mix the dyed colors or red, green and brown rawhide within the same room.  Consider both floor lamps and table or desk lamps with rawhide lamp shades to carry the eye across the room at different levels to tie the theme together.  Using rawhide shades in this way will add an interesting appeal.
As with any style, lighting sets the mood so use individual lamps rather than a single overhead light.  Then, alter the look of the lighting by using different wattage bulbs in different areas, or use dimmers to achieve the warm soft look so popular in cottages, cabins and log homes.  And remember, your rustic lamps will naturally set focal points in the room so use a rawhide lamp and shade wherever light is needed for function.  By doing this your living room will have a rich natural character that sets the stage for the wonderful southwest rugs, western runners or Indian area rugs and throws as well as other elements you introduce.

You will enjoy experimenting with your lamps and because rawhide lamp shades are natural, each one is unique and can add to the room in a special way as it filters light in varying degrees.  Your family and friends will appreciate the rich look and you will enjoy a simple, comfortable quality of life everyday with handcrafted rawhide lamp shades.

Copyright 2007 Mission Del Rey

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