Southeast Alaska
The Drum Within Us
by Sharon Geldaker
First Mate, M/V CHRISTIAN
I was given an amazing experience of drumming prayerfully with women. Following a Celebrating Creator Potlatch in Saxman, Alaska, in June, several women involved in Native ministry came aboard the MV CHRISTIAN for a night of retreat and rest.
My friend, Sonya Skan, had just planned and 
hosted a huge celebration of her culture and Christian beliefs. Her house church, Ke Ya Aa, (becoming daylight in Tlinkit) fed over 300 people, followed by a giveaway, in order to witness the grace of our Creator God and His Son Jesus Christ to her Native community.
Though we were tired from the weekend’s events, it was restful just to be together, and Sonya invited us to learn about drumming for the Lord.
I was especially excited to learn about this, as Sonya and her husband, Norm, had gifted Stan and I with a drum earlier that week. As per tradition, they also sang us a drum song to commission the gift. The drum is fifteen inches of deerskin stretched tight, allowing for a deep and full sound. Norm painted its face with the coast of Southeast Alaska along the sides, and the image of the CHRISTIAN boat herself along the bottom edge. Stan and I were speechless at this incredible gift. We promised we would use it faithfully in worship and praise; to use as an example of how Christianity and the Native cultures of the villages we visit can go hand in hand, and resonate together in praise to our Creator.
As we settled in to listen to Sonya, she reminded us that the drum is like the sound of a heartbeat, the sound of life, given by the Creator. She mentored us that it is important to pay attention to your heart when you take up the drum for worship. If you have an anxious heart, then your drumming will not resound as when you are calm and peaceful. Likewise, if you are angry, the drum will not sound praiseworthy. You should first say a prayer of cleansing and preparation before taking up the drum for worship.
She also spoke of the antiquity of drumming. Drums have been a part of most cultures beyond the limits of memory or recorded history. Their use is primarily for communication, gathering, healing and worship.
In Hebrew, the word for tambourine can also be translated as drum or timbrel. Christian Scriptural references to drumming can be found in Genesis 31:27; Exodus 15:20; and Judges11:34. Psalm 150:4, says to “Praise Him with tambourine and dancing, Praise Him with the strings and flute! Praise Him with the clash of cymbals, Praise Him with resounding cymbals!”
It’s important to remember that the Israelites were also tribes. And God heard their cries, drew them to Him, walked alongside them in the wilderness, and instructed them how to worship Him. He wanted them to be His People. Now, as always, God is available to every tribe, and yearns to be known and worshiped as Creator. All we need do is offer up our very heartbeat, the drum within us.