The Drum consists of a group of singers surrounding the pow wow drum with a lead singer. Most pow wows have a Northern Drum and Southern Drum who perform different songs and styles depending on what is happening in the arena. Other drums are invited to join around the arena. The drum is considered sacred as it is “The Heartbeat of the People,” and it is the central feature to the Pow Wow or any other Native American gathering. At the Pow Wow, each drum comes prepared with a repertoire of as many as 200 songs. The singers must know the appropriate song for the various Pow Wow events and dances. Divided into Southern and Northern styles, the listener will notice singing which differs in tempo, pitch, song configuration, and style.
Southern Drum is style of singing and drumming from the Southern Plains, especially Oklahoma. Songs may have breaks or pauses, the cadence is generally slower, and the pitch is lower than Northern Style.
The Northern Drum
Northern Drum is the Northern Plains style of singing and drumming. Songs are generally in four parts with a tailing end, with no breaks or pauses, and uses higher pitch singing.