Frame Drum

Thunder Elk Native American (Sioux)

ca. 1887

Not on view

Made about 1887 and painted by Thunder Elk in 1904, this drum’s symbolism remains elusive. Yellow, here representing the earth, is often associated with abundance, dark blue with the sky. Frame drums were used to accompany song and dance in both secular and sacred contexts.

Artwork Details

Title: Frame Drum
Maker: Thunder Elk
Date: ca. 1887
Geography: Dakotas, United States
Culture: Native American (Sioux)
Medium: wood, leather, sinew (buffalo or deer); metal wire; pigment
Dimensions: Drum: 13 5/8 × 13 1/2 × 1 7/8 in. (34.6 × 34.3 × 4.8 cm)
Beater: 12 3/4 × 3/4 × 3/4 in. (32.4 × 1.9 × 1.9 cm)
Classification: Membranophone-single-headed / frame drum
Credit Line: The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889
Object Number: 89.4.3326a, b
Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments

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