This page is still under construction. It will be updated a lot in the coming weeks. Please keep checking with us.
Wampanoag Water Drum
Many American Indian Tribes use water drums. Each one is a little different.
The Wampanoag water drum is small and easy to hold in one hand. It is made from a hollowed out piece of wood, covered with hide from a deer, elk or other animal. When the singer is ready to use the drum she/he partially fills it with water. The tone changes with the amount of water in the drum.
We have included two coloring pages about the
Wampanoag water drum
. Click on the drawings below to go to the coloring page.
Wampanoag Gourds and Rattles
Gourd
Some Native people do not like to call these instruments "rattles" since a rattle in the English language can mean different things and is often associated with an infant's toy. Our rattles aren't toys and are considered sacred and precious. They are used for ceremonies, healing and for social dances and in each instance they are carefully used as a sacred instrument. Each Nation/Tribe has their own name for this instrument. We are working on getting the Wampanaog name, but haven't found it yet.
This is a photograph of a gourd rattle. It is made from a dried gourd which is hollowed out and then partially filled with a particular type of small stone and sometimes with dried corn. If the gourd is to be used for healing and ceremonies it will be filled with objects according to the healers vision.
Deer Toe Leg Rattle
This is a photograph of a Deer Toe leg rattle made by Julie Marden a member of the Wampanoag Nation. These rattles are tied to the legs to create a rhythm for dancing in ceremony or social dances. Most Native Nations use something similar.
Turtle Shell Rattle
Desrciption coming soon...
Flute coming soon...
Bone Whistle - This is a photograph of two types of bone whistles. These whistles are not for entertainment or social dancing. They are sacred items used during ceremonies. Usually they are made from hollow bird bones.
Pilgrim Musical Instruments
The fiddle... coming soon.
The fife... coming soon.
Contemporary Music about Thanksgiving
From Lea:
Here's a song by the singer-songwriter Peter Mayer that set me to rethinking "harvest" What seeds am I planting in the world? What harvest will I reap?
Things I Need
The things I need come from a shelf
They all just seem to make themselves
I plant no seed and I tend no vine
And I have no feast at harvest time
CHORUS: I cut no wood
I bake no bread
I spin no wool
To warm my head
I put no paint
On a canvas white
To take a picture takes
Less of my time
I heat my home with electric wire
But I still feel cold because I feed no fire
And my car, it goes when my car has gas
So I don’t walk slow and I don’t walk fast
CHORUS:
So fast
Where are we going?
So fast?
Where are we going?
Where are we going?
Where are we?
I’d trade my wage for a fertile field
For a plow and a spade and a pauper’s yield
I’d swap these streets for a single chance
To drop that seed from my own bare hands
Because the things I need aren’t from a shelf
And the things I need don’t make themselves
But I plant no seed and I tend no vine
And I have no feast at harvest time
No, I have no feast at harvest time
The Eagles album "Hotel California" 1976
"The Last Resort"
She came from Providence,
the one in Rhode Island
Where the old world shadows hang
heavy in the air
She packed her hopes and dreams
like a refugee
Just as her father came across the sea
She heard about a place people were smilin'
They spoke about the red man's way,
and how they loved the land
And they came from everywhere
to the Great Divide
Seeking a place to stand
or a place to hide
Down in the crowded bars,
out for a good time,
Can't wait to tell you all,
what it's like up there
And they called it paradise
I don't know why
Somebody laid the mountains low
while the town got high
Then the chilly winds blew down
Across the desert
through the canyons of the coast, to
the Malibu
Where the pretty people play,
hungry for power
to light their neon way
and give them things to do
Some rich men came and raped the land,
Nobody caught 'em
Put up a bunch of ugly boxes, and Jesus,
people bought 'em
And they called it paradise
The place to be
They watched the hazy sun, sinking in the sea
You can leave it all behind
and sail to Lahaina
just like the missionaries did, so many years ago
They even brought a neon sign: "Jesus is coming"
Brought the white man's burden down
Brought the white man's reign
Who will provide the grand design?
What is yours and what is mine?
'Cause there is no more new frontier
We have got to make it here
We satisfy our endless needs and
justify our bloody deeds,
in the name of destiny and the name
of God
And you can see them there,
On Sunday morning
They stand up and sing about
what it's like up there
They call it paradise
I don't know why
You call someplace paradise,
kiss it goodbye