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Native American hand drums are incredible and sacred instruments. If you recently acquired one of these culturally and spiritually significant instruments, you’re probably wondering what the best way to care for it is. In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know about caring for a vintage Native American hand drum.

Keeping It Clean

If you’re worried that the process of cleaning and moisturizing your drum will be complicated, don’t be. The only thing you need to wash your drum is a damp, lukewarm cloth. Moisturizing your drum is just as simple. You also don’t need to do these things very often. Cleaning and moisturizing once every few years should be sufficient if you live in a hot and dry climate. You can perform this maintenance even less often if you live in a cold and damp region. You can use the oils from your skin to moisturize the drumhead, or alternatively, a different kind of natural oil or saddle soap. Shea butter tends to work well.

Storing When Not in Use

Drums are sensitive to extreme temperatures and humidity. For this reason, storing your drum at room temperature in a place that’s dimly lit and dry is ideal. This means that rooms with a lot of windows or moist places, such as the attic or basement, are generally off-limits. You should also store the drum either wrapped, face-up, or hanging from a wall. Be careful when handling your drum, as roughly tossing it into a storage closet will inevitably lead to damage.

Traveling With Your Drum

If you’re planning to travel with your drum, we recommend getting a wool or cotton bag to store it in. This will keep it safe from weather-related and impact-related damage. If you’re planning to put your drum in the car, pay close attention to where you’re storing it. It’s best to keep your drum in the passenger seat or the back seat. This allows you to keep a close eye on it and ensure that it doesn’t shift around. You should also pay attention to the temperature. Try to keep your car cool by turning on the air conditioning or driving with the windows down.

It’s also important to know how to protect your drum from the weather and humidity when you’re playing it or carrying it around outside. Extreme temperatures can cause the head of the drum to become too loose or too tight. Tighten a loose drumhead by holding it close to your heart. This will warm it up. If you need to loosen a tight drumhead, spritz it with a small amount of water.

Treating It With Respect

The final piece of advice for caring for a vintage Native American hand drum is to treat it with respect. The drum is a sacred instrument. Therefore, you should treat it as if it’s a living being. Your drum contains materials that were once alive, after all; the wood comes from trees, and the rawhide comes from animals. Treat your drum with care and respect, and it will treat you well in return by creating the most beautiful sounds possible.

If you’re searching for a new hand drum to add to your collection or are interesting in getting your first, Tachini Drums has masterfully crafted, fully authentic Native American hand drums for sale. Let us help connect you with the heartbeat of Mother Earth today!