Making a shamanic drum

A shamanic drum is a tool worked with in different ways - for ceremony, to aid spirit connection, shamanic journeying and healing. Making a shamanic drum involves stretching the skin of an animal over a wooden frame and, in many ways, is simple.

However, a shamanic drum is a sacred item and the raw materials (the skin of the animal and the wood of the frame) becomes the gateway into the spirit realm. Making a shamanic drum involves deeply connecting with and working with the raw materials, forming an initiation, a deep connection with both the spirits of the beings the drum is made up of and the ultimate spirit of the drum itself as it takes form.

Making a shamanic drum is itself an initiation into spirit connection and birth is an appropriate word to describe this process.

Drumming in prehistoric Britain

It’s hard to find evidence that drums were used in prehistoric Britain, as the materials which they are made from rot away quickly, unless they are unusually preserved in conditions such as peat bogs. So far, no prehistoric drums have been discovered.

However, among the variety of prehistoric items found in Britain include a few beautifully carved chalk items, dating from the Neolithic, which appear to look like drums. It is thought that perhaps these were made to symbolise living drums which were in use at the time. As always with interpreting archaeology, its hard to tell for sure.

Over the years I have spent a lot of time connecting with spirits from prehistoric Britain, particularly from the Mesolithic and Neolithic, some of whom are my primary guides and shamanic teachers. They all work with drums. True, their drums look different to the frame drums that today we call a shamanic drum. But drumming is clearly part of their shamanic practice. It’s hard to “prove” this in a physical, archaeological, sense though.

The shamanic drum as we know it today probably originates from the Arctic regions of the Northern European Continent, where much of modern shamanism takes its root. In that sense the shamanic drum as we know it could be considered to be appropriated from the Saami, and this should be more widely known.

However people have, perhaps, always struck a beat and any number of items could have been used to achieve this in the past. Although the oldest drum we know of worldwide comes from the Neolithic, I think this simply reflects the evidence we have found. The reality is that drum making is likely to be much older.

People have been working with the skins of animals for millennia - for clothing and shelter, for carrying water and for cooking food. There is evidence in the paleolithic for shamanism, during the time of the very first humans. As shamanism involves going into trance to connect with the spirit realm and as drumming with a repetitive beat is such an easy way to achieve that, and so easy to do, its hard to think that shamanic drumming wasn’t an ancient practice.

That said, I am very grateful to the Saami people, whose shamanic drums have inspired the widespread use of shamanic drums made today.

Birthing a shamanic drum

Shamanic drums are used to aid people to go into the trance (or ecstatic) state needed for journeying. They are more than just an instrument though – they are a living being (if a skin drum) that the maker can build a relationship with. This is important as the drum is the vehicle that takes you on the journey. The relationship is important to keep you safe when you travel within the spirit realm. So whilst you can buy a drum, making your own helps to create and build that relationship.

Shamanic drums have a soul. Making a shamanic drum involves the merging of the living materials (the animal skin and cord, the wooden frame) with the sacred intention and use of the drum for spirit walking. This combination births a new soul into being. Once made, these drums are meant for playing, regularly.

Drum birthing immersion

Nowadays drum-making workshops are popular with many people, giving them a tool to help them explore spirit connection and journeying. I offer an immersion into the spirit of the drum, involving making and birthing a shamanic drum over a weekend.

All the animal skins I work with come from wild deer who roamed in Dartmoor. These deer are culled to manage their numbers, as they are thriving in modern Britain without an apex predator thereby contributing to woodland and habitat loss. I am all for bringing back wolves and lynx. Meanwhile we humans are the predators that are helping to balance the ecosystem. It’s not ideal nor perfect but I trust the ethics of the people I buy the materials from and it’s far better to work with the materials, as our ancestors would have done, then to throw them away. I work with the spirit of the deer myself and love these animals fiercely. Working with their skins in this way helps us to connect with these majestic beings.

The weekend involves the process of cutting the drum head and cord from the raw deer hide and then working with the wet materials to making the finished drum. All methods will be taught and I will offer help throughout the process. Some crafting skill would be useful but I will be on hand throughout to help.

There are 3 types of deer whose skin we could work with and, upon booking, you will have a choice for what animal to work with: Red deer, Roe deer and Fallow deer. Some of the Red deer hides are large enough for two people to make a drum from so be prepared to share your skin during the initial process.

The wooden frames are bought from craftspeople who work shamanically and come from a variety of native trees of Oak, Ash, Birch and Willow. You can choose the tree and the size of the drum frame upon booking.

The weekend is full of ceremony and spirit connection, so that by the time you have made your drum, you have truly birthed a new soul into being. As may be expected of any birth, there may be challenges with birthing your drum and you will learn the character of the new being coming to life. This is all part of the process.

Birthing a drum is messy as you work with the raw, wet skin of a deer. It involves pulling and stretching the skin around the wooden frame. Sometimes you need to be delicate, sometimes fierce as you work with the spirit of the drum.

Your drum will be wet when you finish the weekend and will take a couple of days to dry out. You will leave with instructions on how to care for your drum and I offer a follow up day for those who would like to learn how to connect with and play their new shamanic drum. I also offer a year long course to learn the practice of shamanic journeying and a monthly journey group.

Booking information

Weekend of May 17th and 18th 2025

The timing of both days is 10am - 6pm so it is not a residential weekend. If you are travelling far, you will need to think about finding and booking accommodation.

All materials are included and you can choose the specific materials for your drum upon booking. Vegan/ vegetarian lunch, drinks and snacks will be provided on both days (we can cater for allergies & intolerances).

The cost for the weekend is £300 per person and you can pay in full by clicking the link below or send me an email to pay a deposit to reserve your place. Please note that all bookings have to be secured by August 15th to leave enough time to order the materials.

If you have any questions, do feel free to get in touch by emailing samara@rewildingthesoul.org.