Four Sacred Drummers by western artist Howard Terpning

Four Sacred Drummers by Howard Terpning.

 

"The pounding sound of buffalo hoofs and the throbbing pulse of drums were the twin heartbeats of the People. Singing and dancing to the rhythm of the drums was central to most ceremonial occasions, as a prelude to war or the hunt, and on the high holy days of special observances such as the Sun Dance.

 

These Blackfoot drummers are arrayed in a quartet....The sound of their drums and the high-pitched cry of the songs were in essence an offering to the spirits, in the same manner as the smoking of a ceremonial pipe. The music also served to bring the tribe together in renewal and celebration of their communal sense of themselves as the People." - (The Spirit of the Plains People - Don Hedgpeth).

 

Print released 1992.