Cochiti Pueblo Double Headed Drum

Rhythms of Tradition:

The Role and Craftsmanship of Drums in Pueblo Culture

The drum is unpainted except for blue outlining around the drumhead. Both drum heads are painted black. There is a natural hole from the tree on one side.

Painted and unpainted drums of all sizes are used in pueblo ceremonies. Pueblos that do not have a drum maker will procure through purchase or trade, drums from another pueblo known for making drums. The drum suggests the thunder that comes with rain. The drum has two heads. Pueblo songs are written to start slowly and then go to a climax. At a certain point of the song, the drum is flipped over to achieve a higher beat. This lifts the dancers and gives them the impetus to continue dancing.

It has been our understanding here at Adobe Gallery that painted drums are a product of Cochiti Pueblo, and unpainted drums are from Taos Pueblo.

Spaniards introduced two-headed drums used by the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico over 400 years ago. They are used for ceremonies and rarely for other purposes.

Native drums are generally used during traditional dances at many of the Pueblos located along the Rio Grande and its streams. The drum has played an intrinsic role in the lives of Native Peoples for centuries. Celebrations and ceremonial dances are accompanied by the reverberating pulse of the drum.

Crafted from natural materials over a months-long process, American Indian drums are constructed of a wooden frame, or a carved and hollowed-out log. They can be natural or colorfully painted with solid colors or designs. Drum bodies are created from native woods of New Mexico such as cottonwood, aspen or pine. Drumheads are usually made from cow, deer, elk, goat, horse, or buffalo hide stretched taut across the opening by sinew thongs.