Drum
- Gallery: Room 26
- Made in: Canada
- Date: 1850s
- Object type: drum
- Materials: wood; parchment (?)
- Museum number: Am.2144
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
Before you is a drum crafted in Canada by the Ojibwa people in the 1850s. It is a European-style military drum made from wood and covered with what appears to be parchment at the top and bottom. The drum has been painted with intricate designs. In the upper half, you'll see striking images of Thunderers—spiritual figures important in Anishinaabe tradition. Below them, a large central circle or sun is framed by images of horned figures and red painted shapes. At the base, there are illustrations of cattle or magical creatures, possibly linked to beliefs about the underworld.
This drum was collected by Henry Christy during travels in the Hudson’s Bay Territory and has a rich history tied to exploration and cultural exchange. It remains a powerful and visually compelling object, combining European craft with First Nations symbolism.
See it in person
Drum is on display in Room 26 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
New, in beta. British Museum support has just launched and is still improving: over 1,000 objects so far, with more added all the time.
