Nez Perce National Historical Park

Drum
Late 1800s
This drum was given to L.V. McWhorter in 1933 by Peo Peo Tholekt. It is believed that the drum is either Salish or Flathead in origin but that Peo Peo Tholekt painted it. The drum frame is made from a hollowed out section of a tree. The batter head design is of a rainbow, a pine tree, a bear and green earth. The reverse head is stained with raw sienna. Heads are made of rawhide attached with brass tacks and iron nails. Sometimes this type of drum is referred to as a “war drum”, but generally, it is more appropriate to call it a “dance drum”. Prior to the pow wow era these same gatherings were referred to as “War Dances”.
Cottonwood (Populus tricocarpa), raw hide. Dia 83, W 35.2 cm
Nez Perce National Historical Park, NEPE 304



Drum Late 1800s This drum was given to L.V. McWhorter in 1933 by Peo Peo Tholekt. It is believed that the drum is either Salish or Flathead in origin but that Peo Peo Tholekt painted it. The drum frame is made from a hollowed out section of a tree. The batter head design is of a rainbow, a pine tree, a bear and green earth. The reverse head is stained with raw sienna. Heads are made of rawhide attached with brass tacks and iron nails. Sometimes this type of drum is referred to as a “war drum”, but generally, it is more appropriate to call it a “dance drum”. Prior to the pow wow era these same gatherings were referred to as “War Dances”. Cottonwood (Populus tricocarpa), raw hide. Dia 83, W 35.2 cm Nez Perce National Historical Park, NEPE 304
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