« The consulting of oracles so as to determine where and when to hunt and to know the future with reference to the weather, illness, and personal matters was extremely important to the Lake St. John Montagnais. It is a subject that has been discussed in considerable detail by Speck (1935, pp. 138-147). A more recent discussion of the subject, with a different interpretation, is found in Tanner (1979, ch. 6). » Vanstone, James W. "The Speck Collection of Montagnais Material Culture from the Lower St. Lawrence Drainage, Quebec." Fieldiana. Anthropology. New Series, No. 5 (October 29, 1982), p.19. « When a hunter had begun to think about securing game animals, his will could be strengthened and his chances of success increased through drumming and singing (Speck, 1935, p. 169). The collection contains a single circular drum with two heads. The body of the drum consists of a strip of wood approximately 36 cm long and 6 cm wide, the ends of which are lashed together with sinew. There are four hoops, each approximately 1 cm square in cross section with an inside diameter slightly greater than the body of the instrument. The ends of the hoops are joined by a lap-splice held with sinew and small wooden pegs. The heads appear to have been made from pieces of thinly scraped caribou skin. To assemble the drum the piece of skin was wrapped around one of the hoops which was then slipped over the body of the drum. A second hoop was slipped over the body from the same side in order to secure the first hoop. The same procedure was followed for the head on the other side. The two outside hoops have been lashed together across the body of the drum with babiche. There is no suspension cord. The wooden drum stick has a widened, notched end (fig. 34). A similar drum is described by Rogers (1967, p. 122) for the Mistassini. Speck (1935, p. 170, pi. ix, lower) states that all Montagnais-Naskapi drums have a "snare" attachment consisting of a length of sinew stretched tightly across the head to which short sections of caribou bone or goose quills are tied; this drum does not have such an attachment. » Vanstone, James W. "The Speck Collection of Montagnais Material Culture from the Lower St. Lawrence Drainage, Quebec." Fieldiana. Anthropology. New Series, No. 5 (October 29, 1982), p.20-21, fig 34 (p. 62).

A: Wooden ceremonial drum or ' gujaaw' , painted by the well known Haida artist Reg Davidson. Goatskin stretched over yellow cedar hoop. Caribou horn handle at back of drum. Round design on front depicts front view of eagle face, in red, black and white acrylic paint. The drum is used to accompany traditional singing at many celebratory occasions. B: Beater, made from cedar wooden, with end bound in red cloth. The drums of this type are used to accompany traditional singing at many celebratoryoccasions such as feasts, potlatches, and pole raisings. The unpainted drum was not made by the artist but purchased ready for painting the design. The drum maker was from Vancouver Island; Good; Complete