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Raw materials

Choosing a birch tree

“I choose smaller trees when I have to bend wood, because the various layers tend to separate in bigger trees. I use big trees when I have large pieces to make.

I use gray birch for making hoops and bended parts because it is more flexible. White birch is good for making ax handles. I sometimes use white birch for snowshoes, but you have to be more careful to make sure it doesn’t break. I have also worked with red spruce and balsam.

When choosing a tree, you have to check for knots because they can make the wood split. When working with wood, it’s important to understand that the wood is the master, not you!”
Paul Blacksmith, Innu

Paul Blacksmith
Images : Carl Morasse
La Boîte Rouge vif archives, 2005

Preparing bones of a caribou fetus

“The small bones are made from the femurs of a caribou fetus, carefully harvested in the spring. I did this last spring in order to make this drum. I dried and scraped the small bones, which are very easy to work. You clean the fetus the same way you would an adult. When we separate the fetus from the placenta, we immediately wrap it its mother’s fur and bring it inside the tent. It must be cleaned inside, never outside. The fetus has 8 bones that can be used for the drum. The caribou fetus is edible and is a delicacy that is given to the elders.”

Voice of Céline Bellefleur.
This video clip is from Innu Aitun, "connaissances traditionnelles innues",
a documentary TV series produced in 2005 by Production Manitu inc.
See : www.nametauinnu.ca

Fabrication

Various parts of a teueikan

A teueikan is made from wood (the frame and one or two hoops), caribou hide, cord (preferably red), and a babiche lacing on which feathers and/or small bones are attached.

Assembling a teueikan is a difficult, delicate process. Once each piece is properly prepared, the skin is placed on a hoop and stretched over it. The skin is heated to allow it to be stretched further.

The Innu make two types of drums. On the Lower North Shore, the drum is covered with skin on both sides so the drummer must hang it up to play it. Innu in the North Shore and Lac-Saint-Jean regions make drums with skin on only one side, so the drummer can hold it with their fingers on the inside edge.

The teueikan is played with a stick made from a caribou bone or antler.

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1-6. Drum belonging to Paul Blacksmith
La Boîte Rouge vif archives, 2006

Cutting out the drum parts

“I started cutting the birch with my ax and finished with the crooked knife. When cutting the pieces, you have to make sure all the parts are of equal thickness before bending them. I start by attaching the central part to the hoop. You obtain the desired tension using the cords on the hoop.”
Jean-Baptiste Bellefleur, Innu

Voice of Céline Bellefleur.
This video clip is from Innu Aitun, "connaissances traditionnelles innues",
a documentary TV series produced in 2005 by Production Manitu inc.
See : www.nametauinnu.ca

Preparing the skin of a young caribou

It is better for the drum’s sound to use a young caribou’s skin because it is thinner. Once the hair is removed from the rawhide and the skin is scraped, it must be softened by heat. It is then immersed in water, which softens it further. The skin is then tanned with boiled caribou brain to prevent it from rotting. Lastly, it is stretched on a hoop and dried.

Voice of Céline Bellefleur.
This video clip is from Innu Aitun, "connaissances traditionnelles innues",
a documentary TV series produced in 2005 by Production Manitu inc.
See : www.nametauinnu.ca

Assembling the drum

The Innu make two types of drums. On the Lower North Shore, the drum is covered with skin on both sides so the drummer must hang it up to play it. Innu in the North Shore and Lac-Saint-Jean regions make drums with skin on only one side, so the drummer can hold it with their fingers on the inside edge.

Benoît André, Innu
Images : Jean et Samuel St-Onge