William "Bineshi" Baker is one of the last of the Ojibwa Indian people to continue the art of drummaking. Step by step he constructs a dance drum, dehairing the hides for drumheads, utilizing an old washtub for a frame, and making elaborate decorations for the drum from cloth, fur, beadwork, and ribbon. He expresses his beliefs about tradition as well as his frustration with others who will not take the time to follow it. Filmed at the Lac Court Oreilles Reservation in northern Wisconsin. From the Smithsonian Folklife Studies Monograph / Film series. Produced by the Smithsonian Institution Office of Folklife Programs. The Smithsonian Folklife Studies Monograph, The Ojibwa Dance Drum: Its History and Construction book by Thomas Vennum, Jr., 1982, is included with the program.
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