Frame Drum
Thunder Elk
ca. 1887 · wood, leather, sinew; metal wire; pigment · Musical Instruments
Made about 1887 and painted by Thunder Elk in 1904, this drum’s symbolism remains elusive. Yellow, here representing the earth, is often associated with abundance, dark blue with the sky. Frame drums were used to accompany song and dance in both secular and sacred contexts.
- Artist
- Thunder Elk
- Date
- ca. 1887
- Medium
- wood, leather, sinew; metal wire; pigment
- Culture
- Native American (Sioux)
- Department
- Musical Instruments
- Credit line
- The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889
