Bethel, Alaska
Jerry Lieb, Jr. (Sivaluaq) / Yupik

Birch wood, Ceconite (fiber), caribou antler
2001 CE
Drum Diameter: 15 in; Handle Length: 7 in
Membranophone – Struck Membranophone 

Signed: Sivaluaq / “01”

This is an Alaskan Native Ceremony tribal drum created by Yup’ik artist Jerry Lieb, Jr. from Bethel, Alaska, who signs his work with his Inupiat name ‘Sivaluaq.’  He is best known for his masks, drums and storytelling.  His signature appears on the lower edge of the top, along with the date “01.”  This frame drum is made from pressed birch strips, steamed and bent and is covered on one side with a ceconite drumhead – a type of synthetic polyester fiber.  The drumhead is elaborately painted with a ceremonial image of a transformational mask surrounded by five feathers.  Two of the feathers have black tips, two have white tips, and the top feather has both.  A caribou antler serves as the handle with a hole to hold a thin wooden stick/ drum beater.  When played the stick strikes the rim and not the drumhead.

According to the National Music Museum in Vermillion, South Dakota –  http://collections.nmmusd.org/AmericanIndigenous/10438/CeremonyDrum10438.html :
Jerry Lieb, Jr. learned the art of drum making  from an elder in Kodiak. The stories depicted by his paintings are from Yup’ik or Inupiaq tradition, his life, and/or stories told by the elders. According to Lieb, “It’s said that the outer rim of the Eskimo drum is considered to be the circle of life. And the handle of the drum is like an umbilical cord. So, when you pick it up you are connected, and when you play it, you listen to your heart. For that is where all your songs come from. The reason for the circle of life is because a long time ago the Eskimos and Indians didn’t get along. We used to war with and kill each other over hunting on the lands. Once an Indian came onto Eskimo land, and an Eskimo seen him, so he pulled out his bow and arrow to kill him. Well, the Indian didn’t have his bow and arrow, so he pulled out his drum and began to play it. The Eskimo saw that he didn’t have a weapon, so he let him live. Thus, the reason for the circle of life.”

The Yup’ik are a group of indigenous or aboriginal peoples of western, southwestern, and southcentral Alaska and the Russian Far East.  They are related to the Inuit and Iñupiat and are the most numerous of the various Alaska Native groups.