Turtle Mound Flutes

To the Cherokee (and most other Native Americans) the drum is looked upon with great respect and dignity, representing the sacred heartbeat of Elohino (Mother Earth). The drum is most evident if you attend a Pow Wow. Anyone who approaches the drum must come with a sense of humility, refraining from the use of alcohol, drugs, or profanity.

The care of the drum is very important. Children 5-6 years old have traditionally been charged with the responsibility of caring for the large Pow Wow drum. It would be wrapped carefully in a blanket and kept in a corner. The children were charged with preparing the drum for the Pow Wow, unwrapping it and placing it on its cradle. They would then rub tobacco over the drum head, put water on their hand and rub it all over the drum. At the conclusion of the Pow Wow, the children wrap the drum again and put it aside for transport. Caring for the drum is a tradition that resembles the caring for a baby. This tradition was considered an important part of teaching parenting skills to the children.

The drum is an excellent instrument to accompany your flute playing. It can be played with a flute in any key. Almost anyone can pick up a drum and maintain a somewhat steady rhythm, so it is a great way to involve others - even those with no previous musical instrument playing experience - with your flute music.

Turtle Mounds Flutes has a line of painted hand drums that are ideal for flute accompaniment. Although we try to keep some drums in stock and ready to ship, most will be made and painted to order and may take up to 4 weeks to complete. We offer drums in 10, 13, 14, 15, and 16 inch diameters and with either round or 8-sided frames. The larger drums will normally be of elk skin, with the others of deer skin. Skins are normally bleached a light tan color, but unbleached (gray, see the "Double Kokopelli" pattern in "designs available" section below) may be available for special orders. The following are some of the designs currently available, with new ones added often.

Drums Currently Available
	16 inch round hand drum with turtle design. Round maple frame with elk rawhide "skin". Buckskin wrapped hand grip. Price: $140.00 - includes a buckskin covered natural stick beater. Shipping and handling extra. Florida residents also must pay state sales tax. See ordering information below.
	15 inch round hand drum with Cherokee water spider design. Round maple frame with elk rawhide "skin". Buckskin wrapped hand grip. Price: $125.00 - includes a buckskin covered natural stick beater. Shipping and handling extra. Florida residents also must pay state sales tax. See ordering information below.
	14 inch round hand drum with double Kokopelli design. Round maple frame with unbleached deer rawhide "skin". This drum has a darker color than most others available here. Buckskin wrapped hand grip. Price: $100.00 - includes a buckskin covered natural stick beater. Shipping and handling extra. Florida residents also must pay state sales tax. See ordering information below.
	14 inch round hand drum with Chilkat Bear design. Round maple frame with unbleached deer rawhide "skin". This drum has a darker color than most others available here. Buckskin wrapped hand grip. Price: $110.00 - includes a buckskin covered natural stick beater. Shipping and handling extra. Florida residents also must pay state sales tax. See ordering information below.
	10 inch 8-sided hand drum with pattern featuring 4 eagle feathers. 8-sided maple frame with deer rawhide "skin". Buckskin wrapped hand grip. Price: $75.00 - includes a buckskin covered natural stick beater Shipping and handling extra. Florida residents also must pay state sales tax. See ordering information below.
	10 inch round hand drum with double bird design. Maple frame with deer rawhide "skin". Buckskin wrapped hand grip. Price: $65.00 - includes a buckskin covered natural stick beater Shipping and handling extra. Florida residents also must pay state sales tax. See ordering information below.
	10 inch 8-sided hand drum with rain & lightning design. 8-sided maple frame with deer rawhide "skin". Buckskin wrapped hand grip. Price: $65.00 - includes a buckskin covered natural stick beater Shipping and handling extra. Florida residents also must pay state sales tax. See ordering information below.
	10 inch round hand drum with turtle design. Maple frame with deer rawhide "skin". Buckskin wrapped hand grip. Price: $65.00 - includes a buckskin covered natural stick beater Shipping and handling extra. Florida residents also must pay state sales tax. See ordering information below.
	10 inch round hand drum with crouching Kokopelli design. Maple frame with deer rawhide "skin". Buckskin wrapped hand grip. Price: $65.00 - includes a buckskin covered natural stick beater Shipping and handling extra. Florida residents also must pay state sales tax. See ordering information below.

To order: To place an order for a Turtle Mound Flutes hand-painted hand drum, please call, e-mail, or fax your request. We accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover.

Send mail to webmaster@turtlemoundflutes.com with questions or comments about this web site.