After spending months building Aboriginal drums, Grade 3 students from the Jasper Elementary School held a drum circle to thank everyone who helped them in the process.
Gathered in the schoolyard, June 22, were the local hunters who provided the hides, community members who provided the ash that was used in the solution to scrape the hides, and parents who helped cut the hides and lace the drums.
Also present was Ursula Winkler, who created the drum making program along with Grade 3 teachers AnneMarie MacDonald and Kathryn Howe.
Winkler is a long time Jasperite and advocate for experiential learning who has crafted drums in the past. She led the students through each step, from scraping the hides to oiling the drums once they were built.
On June 22, she was recognized for her efforts by Matricia Brown, an Aboriginal educator who taught the students how to honour their drums and be respectful drum keepers.
Brown presented Winkler with an eagle feather, explaining that in her culture it is the most sacred and honoured gift that can be given.
After the presentation, which left Winkler visibly touched, the students performed their first song, which thanked Winkler and her husband Terry, who also helped out along the way.
The drum making project was part of Howe and MacDonald’s annual field school, which takes students out into the community and park for experiential learning opportunities.
This year, the teachers used drum making to teach the students about animal lifecycles, sound and music—subjects that are in the Grade 3 curriculum—as well as teaching them about Aboriginal culture, traditions and history.
Nicole Veerman
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