Dance Drum

This is dance drum belonged to Henry Looking Glass. It bears his name and the date 1919 August 4. It is a two-head, frame drum made of wood with hide heads. The heads are stretched and secured with brass tacks. The frame is decorated with wool trade cloth. Before the days of modern pow wows, people often gathered at private residences for dancing and socializing. A more public function also took place with ceremonial activities such as name giving and dancing. In the West it was referred to as “War Dance”. Only in the 1960s did the term "pow wow" become popular to describe the same type of activity.