This is a frame drum for the development of wisdom on the life journey.
The 14” Spruce wood frame is covered with a blacktail deer hide from Cortes Island. This drum has the clear strong voice of youth. The skin was from a young deer with few scars and blemishes. A creature that gives the strength of its life journey to your sacred drumming.
The cedar withie ring is filled with an 8-fold path interlacement pattern.
Since ancient times an interlacement pattern has been considered a magical charm because the endless line drew the eye around and around the figure without any breaks or “gates” through which negative forces might enter. Thus such a pattern could become a yantra for meditation or used to induce a trance.
The magical properties of this pattern includes the twelve small triangles (the zodiacal twelve), and the central diamond around which the apexes of four larger triangles interlock. Thus the design not only references the 8 steps of the Buddhist Noble Path which are right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. It also contains the mystic threes and fours.
