Of great influence and importance are Native American Ceremonial Drums. Different tribes have different traditions about their drums and how to play them. For larger dance or powwow type drums, the basic construction is very similar in most tribes: a wooden frame or a carved and hollowed-out log, with rawhide buckskin or elk skin stretched out across the opening by sinew thongs. Traditionally American Indian drums are large, two to three feet in diameter, and they are played communally by groups of singers who sit around them in a circle.

From left:

Wolf Bellicourt, Ojibway
Little Wolf Vasquez, Ohlone
Dave Wilson, Ojibway
Harry Byrd, Lakota
Clyde Bellecourt, Ojibway
Dennis Banks, Lakota (seated next to Clyde)
Unknown Drummer