The Canadian Aboriginal hand drum consists of a wooden frame (often ash) which is covered with a deer, moose, or bear skin which in turn is tightened with raw hide lacing at the back. Unlike the frame drums of the Middle Eastern and European cultures, this hand drum is usually played not with the open hand but with a beating stick.
And yet, in our search for frame drum playing artifacts we came across two delightful Aboriginal figurines in resin, each playing their drum in the European fashion. The first is a a beautiful Aboriginal girl in a buckskin dress with flowing hair who is holding up her drum close to her face. She stands about 5 and a half inches tall and goes by the name "Red Star." Betty Lynn found this in a shop in Kentucky in 2011. The second is even more unique. She is a hanging figure which I found in a "Christmas is ... Everyday" shop in Waynesville, North Carolina also in 2011. Like the first figurine, she is clearly Aboriginal and dressed in a buckskin dress. In contrast to the first, however, she is playing left handed and she has beautiful wings! Indeed, on the bill of sale, she is described as an "Indian fairy." This delicate little person is only 4 and a half inches tall.
