Painted Hopi Dance Drum

Yellow, blue, black, and white painted dance drum used in the snake dance, (rain dance), ceremonies of the Hopi pueblo culture.  The snake dance has gained notoriety in recent years due to the Hopi’s use of live snakes held in the mouths of some dancers.   The dances are held in an effort to bring rain to the dry and seemingly barren landscape.   The song and accompanying dance are a plea for agrarian fertility in anticipation of the late summer monsoons that bring life to the arid region.  The drums sounds imitate the sound of thunder that accompany the rains.  The drums are pounded, and as the song progresses and the beat intensifies, the drums are turned over and played on the opposite side which in turn energizes the dancers to continue on with their demanding high energy dance.
This drum is natural hide stretched over a wooden hoop frame and painted with natural pigments.  The drum shows use and I estimate the drum to date from the 1940s-1950s.
The drum measures approximately 8 inches by 7 inches by 4 inches.  
Price $450