Dear Wildblog readers! "The drum unites the heartbeats of the earth with the heartbeats of the people." Today Miriam and Jenin had the chance to meet a traditional drum maker. George Lewis hunts the animals for his drums himself. For example, he showed us skins from black bears, deer, cougars, seals, sea lions, and sea otters, for which he has a special permit to hunt. The animals are skinned, the hides cleaned, stretched and dried. On average, the skins take two days to dry, after which they can be dehaired and cut to size. They are then treated with oil and made supple so that they can be mounted on the wooden frame. The process of making a drum takes about a week in total. However, traditional drums are then painted. The motifs come from his wife Tina Lewis and usually have a spiritual meaning. These depictions often include eagles, salmon, bears and seals, but more rarely also people. Similar to the totem poles, the colors are traditionally red and black. The "drum sticks" are also made from them. We were allowed to try out different drums and discovered that two drums of the same diameter can produce different sounds. The reason for this is the different skins. For example, a bear drum sounds exactly one octave lower than a seal drum. While we listened to the stories, we were well catered for. Sugared salmon is now one of our favorite dishes! However, the overwhelming hospitality is not only evident in the hospitality. We are proud and grateful that these people shared a part of their culture with us. This is by no means a matter of course, as large parts of it remain closed to the public. More reports and pictures from the photographer team on www.reinis-blue-box.blogspot.de and http://www.samifayed.de/blog. www.facebook.com/wildernessinternational