Gathering Together: Gathering together we will tune our ear to the sacred sound of the frame drum as each woman hand crafts their very own sacred tool. Each drum will be prodded using only natural dye with a specially prepared bundle curated by Nikiah, founder of The Red Moon Mystery School. We begin with the frame, which is the foundation for the drum and as the woman work in creating the drum each piece is blessed and held close to her beating heart. We will also dive into the teachings from "When The Drummers Were Women, A Spiritual History of Rhythm" by Layne Redmond.
Symbolism of the Drum: It is said that drumming takes us back to the heartbeat of the mother when we die, transforming us into the great spiral of life, death and re-birth. The roundness of the frame in the context of this work represents the moon, and the wood coming from the ancient tree of life. Ancient drums owned by woman were specifically painted red using Ochre to represent blood, menstruation and birthing rites. It is in the spirit of this ancient tradition that we will dye these drums red.
Teaching Workshops: I have been welcomed into the Red Drum Carrier's and now am able to teach small 1 day workshops to women on how to make their own RED DRUMS in my Los Angeles community and expand the sisterhood and red drum carriers.