Tom tom

A modified British military drum that has been painted by an Anishinaabe artist with images of spiritual and ceremonial significance. Courtesy of the British Museum.

Drums are used in many cultures throughout the world in cultural, spiritual, or religious ceremonies. Du Vernet first mentions drums – tom-tom – on July 17th.

That night he held an evening church service for the community, but few people attended. Later, he heard the the sound of the tom-tom in the night, which kept him from sleeping as the drumming went on past three in the morning. He was told afterwards that a great dance had attracted many people, one of the reasons why attendance was so poor at his church service.

The next day, he wrote about the tom-tom again. On Monday evening, after hearing “incantations” from one of the houses, Du Vernet entered the home and described a scene of ceremony taking place, which included drumming. Du Vernet described the tom-tom as a “wooden cask with a tight leather head.”

Drumming was not used in Anglican liturgy – organs were the preferred instrument in their churches. High Church Anglicans, however, did have a practice of rhythmic chanting, drawn from earlier Christian traditions. As an Evangelical Anglican, it is highly unlikely that Du Vernet regularly heard or participated in this kind of chanting – he would have been much more comfortable singing hymns with more melodic tunes.