The flute and the whistle were the only melodic instruments formerly in use among North American First Nations. This rattle, with a sound varying according to its size, is played by a chosen singer who shakes it or strikes it on any available solid surface. The gradual expansion of the Powwow movement is responsible for its introduction to Northeastern North America. Native Iroquois drums were often filled with water to give them a distinctive sound different from the drums of other tribes. The Abenakis also use them. The Iroquois (/ ˈ ɪr ə k w ɔɪ / or / ˈ ɪr ə k w ɑː /) or Haudenosaunee (/ ˈ h oʊ d ə n oʊ ˈ ʃ oʊ n i /; "People of the Longhouse") are a historical indigenous confederacy in northeast North America. The water drum, used by men, was designed to be played within the longhouse, the traditional Iroquoian dwelling also used as a place of worship. Among Iroquoian peoples, the traditional water drum is small in size and cylindrical. Iroquois instruments are similar to the instruments of the Cherokee. This impressive drum originates in regions to the west of the Great Lakes. Thus, its sound dœs not carry as far as Algonquian-style drums. The head, with the neck stretched out over a wooden stick, is used as the handle. The Iroquois use beads for creating some stunning designs on the clothes and jewelry that they wear. For Algonquian peoples, the drum is above all a ritual object. The oldest form is a piece of birchbark (Betula papyrifera) folded back several times and struck with a stick. One type of Iroquoian rattle is made from Elm (Ulmus americana) bark. The Iroquois is a confederacy of six Native American tribes. The Iroquois also sometimes used rattles, which were made of deer hide or turtle shells (1). Most drum frames are round, but there is also an octagonal shape. These quills are a kind of snare giving the drum a particular sound quality. The constant rustling sound is obtained by striking the rattle against the thigh if seated or the palm of the hand if standing. The latter is usually made from deerhide (Odocoileus virginianus), attached with a ring made of wood and leather. In the Innu version, a Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) tendon, with interwoven porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) quills, crosses the side the skin membrane is mounted on. A few centimetres of water are poured into a cedar (Thuja occidentalis) or linden (Tilia glabra) barrel to moisten and tighten the drum skin. Continuous beating of this type of drum with a sculpted stick, sometimes curved, accompanies most social songs. Most Iroquois music is very rhythmic and consists mostly of drumming and lively singing. This process makes the sound more elastic. Approximately 1 metre in diameter, the wooden frame with one face covered by stretched buffalo hide is suspended from cross-shaped wooden bars to give it greater resonance. Some types of small squashes and the calabash are used by farming peoples to make rattles. Among Iroquoian peoples, the traditional water drum is small in size and cylindrical. This instrument was often used instead of a drum. The two most important Iroquois instruments are drums and flutes. The latter is usually made from deerhide (Odocoileus virginianus), attached with a ring made of wood and leather. Striking the raised side against the palm of the hand causes the vibrating sound. They were quickly adopted to adorn articles of dress. The turtle’s body is removed from its shell, and the shell’s openings are sewn shut after inserting pebbles or corn kernels. Contrary to the other nations, the Micmacs used a simpler form of percussion instrument to back up their dances and songs. Since contact between Europeans and Aboriginal Americans, small bells made of tin, copper or other metals were gradually introduced into the material culture of peoples of the Americas. This project was made possible with the support of Canadian Culture Online, department of canadian Heritage Website created by ARDUFOUR. A piece of bark the length of an arm and approximately 15 cm wide is harvested from the tree and folded in half. The songs and dances of nations in the great Algonquian family are usually accompanied by drums of different shapes and sizes Some are shaped from a single cervid skin stretched over a wooden frame with a gut handle on the back, while others, less common, are double, with the handle at the top of the frame. These hooves, arranged in dangles, make a jingling sound when they strike against one another with the dancers’ steps. Leather or fabric garters holding dancers’ deerskin leggings in place are often adorned with cervid hooves. The most particular Micmac instrument is a clapper made from a stick of beech (Fraxinus nigra) approximately 35 cm, folded in half in several strips. Iroquois, any member of the North American Indian tribes speaking a language of the Iroquoian family. This common instrument is used throughout the Americas and known by the generic name maracas (word from the Tupi-Guarani language) in Latin America and the Caribbean. Notice of Accessibility: The Iroquois Central School District is committed to ensuring that all materials on our website are accessible to all users including individuals with disabilities such as visual and hearing disabilities.