The Sacred Drum

The sacred drum was the Noaid’s tool for traveling between worlds and communicating with gods and helping spirits. A specific ceremony led the Noaid into a trance, opening up for drum journeys and clairvoyance. The Noaid was the spiritual leader of the community and the Noaid’s drum was very elaborate. Each Noaid had its own unique drum.

The drum was also a tool in everyday life and could be consulted on various matters. From the Southern Sami area, it is known that each family could have its own drum, which was used when one needed help with everyday things – be it information about the weather or which route was the best to choose over the mountain. This was probably the case in other Sami areas as well. The Sami pre-Christian practice of faith was much more flexible and individually adapted than one gets the impression from the old missionary accounts.

We can divide the known Sami drums into two main types. The frame drum (gievrie) is known from the South Sami area, while the bowl drum (goavddis) was common for the northern part of Sápmi. Written and oral tradition also talks about metal drums. From our region, the drum of the mighty Noaid Bealjehis Jovdna is well known. It was made of brass, shaped like a bird, with a pendant made of 7 kinds of metal attached to the right wing. The sound of this could be heard all over Rensa.

There are stories of both female and male Noaids. Still, not everyone could become a Noaid, you had to be worthy of the task. Often, the new Noaids were found in the same family. If the Noaid did not succeed in finding candidates, the Noaid would rather hide the drum away than let it fall into the wrong hands.

The Drum from Hilleshamn

The drum was found hidden under a rock on a mountainside in Gratangen in 1999. It is a bowl drum made from a pine burl. Carbon dating of the wood shows that the drum was made in the period 1650–1765 AD. The drum skin has not been preserved. Nor has a hammer or any pendants that were commonly attached to drums from this time been found. Two rows of holes along the edge indicate that the drum has been covered with leather twice. A cross is inscribed on the inside of the drum, and a cross on the outside. The drum from Hilleshamn is one of the very few bowl drums that have been found. This makes it a unique find with high cultural and historical value.

The drum from Hilleshamn has been in use during the period when the most intensive missionary work by Norwegian priests and missionaries took place. The drum was an important element in pre-Christian Sami religion and worldview. For the missionaries, it thus became a priority task to destroy all drums and all Sami sacred places. Sami religion was demonized. The drum was described as the work of the devil, and any association with the drums could be punished with death until 1726. The intensive missionary work at the beginning of the 18th century was characterized by abuse of power and persecution of Samis who lived according to their own faith. The Noaids went into hiding, and they had to hide their drums.

Today, there are more than 70 drums from ancient times. They tell us about the drum era that has been and the long centuries in hiding. The drum from Hilleshamn has again chosen to show itself to us. Returned to its home region, it is a symbol of Sami traditions, continuity, and adaptability. Like a glow from the fire, it gives pride and strength to new generations.