Photo courtesy of Manitoba Buckskin.

Creative Manitoba Indigenous Programs will host twice monthly hand drum circles at Creative Manitoba. We will honour traditional knowledge, practice the art, and sound the drum. The drum circles are FREE to everyone in the community, members of Manitoba Moon Voices, and members of Creative Manitoba.

Dates: Twice a month, September 20 to December 20, 2018

Time: 6:30 pm-8:30 pm (Doors open 6:15 pm)

VENUE CHANGE: Drum circles will now take place on the 4th floor of Creative Manitoba at 245 McDermot (Sacred Circle and Large Classroom)

Dates and Details

Sept 20 – Building Drums – Drum kits have already been reserved to a handful of people who have pre-registered. If you would still like to attend the first drum circle and you did not register, you are welcome to bring your own materials or simply attend and join the circle. This special workshop will run until 9:30 pm.

Oct 4 – Feasting in and Sounding the Drums – learning different viewpoints, traditions, oral history, teachings and stories surrounding the hand drum. How it’s used, why it’s used, and what it represents. Preparing for the journey.

Oct 18 – Traditions and Protocols – Alison will share the traditional teachings and protocols of the drum, the drum stick and the connection between stick, body, and voice. Beginning with finding your beat, hearing your drum and what it means to be a drum carrier.

Nov 1 – Traditional Songs – We will learn traditional songs, the types, the history and the protocol of when to sing those songs. Touching on songs of sun dance, round dance, sweat lodge, honour songs, thank you songs, ceremony songs, family songs, and welcome songs.

Nov 15 – Women and The Big Drum – We will learn about women and the big drum. The history of women on the big drum and what it means to be a big drum carrier. And yes songs will be learned and sung.

Dec 6  – Guest Artist – Dawn Lavand– We welcome guest Dawn Lavand a song carrier and drum carrier to lead us this evening.  Dawn Lavand was born and raised in Winnipeg and loves to sing and drum.  As a youth in care she was trained as a performing artist and gained experience both on stage and screen with a successful acting career that spanned a decade.  As an adult on the journey of Cultural Reclamation, she aspires to share her passion for the Arts and her Culture in a good way.

Dawn’s message to us – “Ombe abindigaan ndinawemaganaag. Come welcome in all my relatives, let us Sound The Drum and nurture our internal homefires bagosendamowin, in the Spirit.”

Dec 20 – Solstice Feast – We will host a traditional Solstice feast and learn the songs of feasting and the songs of solstice and recap what we have learned.

Instructor: Alison Cox, educator and Traditional Teacher, has been teaching drumming in Winnipeg for numerous years. She is Anishinabe Ikwe Bear & Eagle Clan, Midi-win-win Society, Red Robe Drum Society, Okii ji da Ikwe Society-Academic/Musician/Writer/Teacher &Healer. She has sung for traditional powwows, spiritual gatherings, life and death ceremonies and small/large community events. She has also crossed into contemporary music with Walk Off the Earth and various rap groups.

Alison has been a Red Drum Society member for 14 years. She was passed a Big Drum from Elders’ Catherine Richards, Sandy Bay –Ojibway and Neil Hall, SagKeeng-Ojibway in 2001. She has been training and learning to Carry the Big Drum for years and has sat with many traditional teachers, singers and Big Drum Carriers all over Canada and the United States. The current Red Robe Women Drum Society Singers formed in 2005 with the guidance and teachings of Alison Cox – a Red Drum Society member.