Water Drum

Water Drum

Water drums are a category of membranophone characterized by the filling of the drum chamber with some amount of water to create a unique sound. Water drums are common in Native American music, and are the traditional drum for the Huron/Wendat/Wyandot and Iroquois/Haudenosaune tribes. The Ojibwa, Ottawa and Pottawatomii called them midegwakikoon. It is used today both ceremonially and in traditional Longhouse social dances. Water drums are also found in African and Southeast Asian music.

It is considered the most sacred of all drums. They are almost always the property of religious and ceremonial persons. They have status as a person, not as an object. They are made always of special wood from certain trees.