Muskrat and Skunk / Sinkpe Na Maka: A Lakota Drum Story

Animals stop and listen. A new sound is in the forest. The beat vibrates through the trees and across the meadows. What is it? Where is it coming from? Muskrat and Skunk thump on a hollow log BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Birds begin to dance. Buffalo and Antelope join in. There is a rustle in the bushes; a large shape emerges. The animals scatter. Muskrat and Skunk drum on. The story of the drum connects the instrument s sound to the heartbeat of Mother Earth a beat inside all of us.