Featured Drum sticks / beaters

I have this old pair of drum sticks / beaters but I haven't been able to find other similar examples, and really have no idea what exactly they are or how they were intended to be used. They have leather-wrapped heads, wooden shafts and what appears to be amber finials on the ends. Does anyone recognize them?

 

Vintage Marching band Bass Drum sticks?

 

Could be! These usually look different, though, with cylindrical heads.

I also wondered if they might be native American Indian drum beaters but, again, I haven found really similar examples and so I just don’t know.

 

Guessing, for striking Dinner gongs in Hotel?

 

Finials look like Bakelite

 

I have Cherokee in my family and some family members have reservation rights in Oklahoma. They have native dances in full dress several times a year. These remind me of the outfits and equipment they use so perhaps they are modern/vintage NA for ceremonial use.

 

Thanks for your reply, Buyingtime777. I’m glad that somebody else thinks these may have a Native American connection. The amber finials reinforce this theory for me, as I understand that this material was/is very popular with Plains and Southwest tribes.

 

i've never seen a native drummer use this type of beater....certainly not with fabric wrist ties..

 

It would be difficult to authenticate for sure and I could be completely wrong. I wouldn't think the value would be all that high anyway on modern NA drum sticks.

I know the pow wows are like big dance competitions and they beat the drums for hours but I would think they would have more appropriate wrist ties although they may not show in full dress with long sleeves and comfort might drive material selection.The wrist ties do look like they have seen some use on these.

I found something somewhat similar for this style of flat drum but I do not know what tribe.

 

The man in the picture is Jonathan Maracle from the Mohawk tribe. http://eaglewindflutes.com/

I rather suspect it would be much easier to attribute a drum then just the drumsticks but I am out of my comfort area in NA items and am just expressing an opinion with no real knowledge behind it.

 

I've never seen the Indians us wrist ties....& you'll notice the beater he's using has the fur or wool ..on the outside......this does less to disturb the design on the drum..

 

felted wool beater..

 

Like I said I don't claim any serious knowledge on the subject. They seem to be trying to imply an NA look and do not look like pro band equipment. You have a point about the wrist ties I am sure though. They seem better made then casual craft work IMHO. A mystery beyond my simple mind!

 

Close? hard to tell if they're fuzzy or not.

http://www.scotlandproductsonline.com/drum-accessories/276-pipe-band-drum-s-sticks.html

 

Very close! So, maybe Scottish, then.

 

Fuzzy (fleece) covered beaters give a more muffled hit, and smooth ones like this give a more percussive hard hit. Head shape also varies the sound somewhat. Both types are made and used depending on the type of sound that the drummer is trying to make. Usually a marching or concert band will have different ones and choose the ones to use based on the sound wanted. The relatively short length and straps indicate these are probably for marching use, and not concert band. These look 20th century factory made to me, though clearly with some age.

 

I agree with those who have said these are not Native American. The mode of attachment of the heads to the sticks is something I have never seen on a native beater from any tribe.
They appear to me to be commercially made, and hard to say much more than that unless you can find a percussionist who is familiar with older beaters. Such a person might well recognize the manufacturer instantly, as in most eras there were a limited number of makers of such commonly used musical items.

 

Okay, thanks to all who replied. I’ll continue researching these and, if I’m successful in identifying what exactly they are, I’ll post that information here.