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Upcoming workshops
Ceremonial Drum Making
Join Us for a Unique Drum Making Workshop! Are you ready to tap into your creativity and craft your very own drum? Join us at 12 noon, on April 6th, 2025 for an unforgettable experience led by Cree Knowledge Keeper Sonny Campbell!
What’s Included in this experience:
- A rawhide circle with pre-punched holes, perfectly sized for wrapping over the back of your drum
- Rawhide lacing, long enough to pull your drum together and weave a sturdy handle
- A beautifully steamed white ash hoop
- A complete drum stick kit
This workshop is perfect for anyone looking to learn a new skill, connect with others, and explore the rich tradition of drum making. Whether you’re a beginner or have some experience, you’ll leave with a unique, handcrafted drum.
Investment: Just $215 for a day of creativity, culture, and connection. This is a much better deal than the typical $300+ variants that also charge for renting space and organizer fees. This is a not-for-profit offering.
Pricing Breakdown: $155 (14” deer hide drum kit) $50 (knowledge keeper honorarium) $5 (coffee/tea, snacks)
$5 (supplies / curing clips)
Sign Up
Spaces are limited, so don’t miss out on this opportunity to create something truly special. Reserve your spot today!
We have 10 spots per workshop and workshops repeat every 3 months. To reserve a spot, please make your payment in full via etransfer. This workshop payment is non-refundable, but if you have any emergency and have to cancel we can try to get you into the next offering.
For more information and to register, contact Ian at 403-612-4983.
Let’s make some music together!
We will be hosting a fourth workshop in July 2025, please stay tuned for updates on the exact date.
Needing Financial Support to Attend?
If you would like to attend but are experiencing financial difficulties, please contact us to see if you are able to receive a subsidized spot, courtesy of the Calgary Foundation.
We thank the Calgary Foundation for their help and support in this grassroots initiative. Learn more about them and what they do for our Calgary community here.
The Significance of The Ash Tree
The frame and structure of the drums in our workshops are made from steamed white ash wood. Cultures "have accumulated intimate knowledge over the course of countless generations about where to find ash trees, how to support their growth and development and how to use them in practical and artistic applications."
Ash trees continue to be used "for many different purposes including for firewood, snowshoes, hunting and fishing decoys, canoe paddles lumber, and baskets," and "understanding of ash trees and forest ecosystems comes from a centuries-old intergenerational accumulation of knowledge and is referred to as “traditional ecological knowledge.” [Source]
Past Programs
Ceremonial Drum Making
- October 20th, 2024
- January 12th, 2025
Land Acknowledgement
In the Spirit of the Truth,
we acknowledge and recognize past and ongoing injustices. Plants for a Purpose is committed to Reconciliation and healing with Indigenous Peoples. Plants for a Purpose recognizes the traditional territories, oral practices, and the history of the Blackfoot (Siksika, Piikani, and Kainai), the Tsuut’ina (Sarcee), the Stoney Nakota (Chiniki, Goodstoney/Wesley, and Bearspaw) First Nations, as well as the Métis Nation (Region 3). All who live here have responsibilities to this spectacular land.