Throughout human history, the sound, the rhythmic music - that thump, thump, the deep bass - served several purposes, including calling everyone to gather, announcing a special event such as a birth, a betrothal, marriage, sickness and death, calling to war, directing fighters, communicating between villages, and celebrating/commemorating harvests, natural events, and tragedies.

Through its reverberations the drum is used in healing, enabling trances and meditation, and providing comfort. Through playing, drummers give life to the drum, which becomes an authority in the gathering.

Drummers meeting in a group, drumming, begin by “warming up” the drums, and when all the drummers have achieved synchronicity, an organic rhythm emerges; a keen listener could hear different drum sounds, each calling and responding to the other, creating a language in sound.

The drums’ sound sends waves through our bodies, we feel it pulsating in our flesh, our heart rate and breathing slowly stop resisting and become in synch, and we are calmed. Yet, one drummer can, through playing, evoke and communicate, allowing their drum to “speak/talk” to those listening.

And, often, when drums are played, when we’ve given ourselves over to the rhythms, almost imperceptively our bodies respond, a shimmer here, a movement there; our muscles begin to be in synch with the beats, and we dance, from tentative movements, small steps to full on and with abandon - sometimes our limbs seem uncoordinated, flying, flailing about, our legs kicking and stomping, and our hips gyrating in ever more circular and sexually suggestive motions - as if suddenly, we are spineless; the sweat pouring from our glistening skin, our head and face drenched - the sounds of the drums have taken over our being and we’ve become one with our ancestors and nature.

For many, this is the beginning or continuation of their healing.