Carved Tribal Totem and Animal Spirit Drumsticks

The Tribal Totem Drumstick creation work is a joint effort between Chuck Wilson (drum creator) and Michael D. Williams (Alaskan Tsimshian/Tlingit heritage). Michael created the Formline Artwork symbols, and Chuck incorporated these into the design and crafted the Drumstick. The Formline art presents Michael’s Eagle, Raven, Wolf and Orca (Killer Whale or Blackfish)  Formline. 

The Totem also includes a rearing Horse that honors Chief Crazy Horse, Inyan his favorite horse, all Horses, a Council of Seven Chiefs and many ancestors. The  Pacific Northwest Salmon which honors the Salmon People and the Coastal and Interior First Peoples and of course Chief Si’ahl  (Seattle or Sealth).

The Totem Drumstick is specifically intended to be a small tribal totem pole that brings the sacred aspects of the traditional Pacific Northwest Coastal Totem Poles to all people that hold such traditions and beliefs with importance and reverence. These totem drumsticks are also used as Talking Circle Sticks, Medicine Staffs, Talisman or to assist people in being grounded during their meditation.

In my mind and practice, there are many objects that exist or are created that are sacred.  The sacred drum's drumstick is one that I wanted to evolve from the standard simple stick into a series of sacred drumsticks which included carved artwork of Power  and Spirit Animals, Culture Symbols, Tribal Symbols, Formline and more.  I feel that giving these icons and entities a 3D carved visual presence as part of the drumstick honors them greatly and creates a strong visual and tactile connection with people.  

it is important to know and accept that sacred objects are equal and these carved sacred drumsticks are as connected and powerful as the Wakan Drums spirit drums.  

 Michael Williams is from ​Ketchikan Alaska and was raised in the Pacific Northwest and South-central Alaska.  Michael’s Tsimshian Tribal Clans are both “Ts’msyen Lack Gyiboo” (of the Wolf) and the “Tlingit Yeil” (Raven Clan). He is a self-taught sewer and learned Northwest Coastal Formline Art from Robert Mills, David R. Boxley/Steve Brown/Bill Holm videos over the years. He and his gifted wife Tracy present their combined art and spiritual work on their website: https://www.ascendedheartsstudio.com/aboutus . 

Currently I am creating 15 inch and 12 inch long drumsticks with the drum head style being as shown in the picture to the left.  They are about 0.75 to 1.0 inches in diameter.  

Longer and thicker sticks can be created for clients with different art files.  If you are a fellow drum maker and would like your own style and design, I would be honored to partner to accomplish this as the more people that learn more about sacred things the better, in my opinion.  I need art files in the SVG or RLF format to work with my CAM design software.  

The woods are mostly hardwoods and include Cherry, hard Maple, walnut Hickory and others.  

The following design creations will be available soon.  Please look at the pictures in the below picture gallery.  As they become available they will be added to the SHOP inventory. 

Full Totem Stick - Two Wolfs - Raven and Eagle - Two Eagles - Wolf and Eagle - Orca and Eagle

Orca Pod of 3 Orca - Salmon and Eagle -   

These Totem and Spirit Animal Style Sacred Drumsticks require a significant amount of dedicated time to create.  This includes the machining of the rough wood into the finished drumstick, the finishes placement of the drumstick head and final details.  It is not a factory operation even though I use my CNC for the machining.    

The pricing for: 

The 15 inch Tribal Totem with Michael's Formline Art is offered at $85.00.

The  12 inch Tribal totem as above is offered at $65.00

The other Tribal Totems will be priced after I finish the first batch of them soon.

I should be posting videos for theses and the animal Drumsticks soon.

thank you.