White Thunder Bear Drums

Drum therapy harnesses the power of rhythm to accelerate healing, cultivate joy, promote overall well-being, and triumph over emotional wounds. The transformative effects of drumming are known to fortify the immune system and facilitate a holistic balance of body and mind. Across diverse cultures and centuries, drumming resonates as a timeless tradition.

Raven Runyan, White Thunder Bear, is a drum maker who crafts custom drums infused with spiritual energy to elevate your spiritual journey. A drum is a potent instrument of healing and personal evolution, guiding ceremonial rites with its sacred essence.

If you are looking for ready-made drums available for sale, you can check out The White Thunder Bear Etsy shop below:

Custom Drums

Raven can create custom drums based on the availability of hides. Drums are round and range in size from 12 inches to 20 inches. A custom drum may take up to 6 weeks to complete from the time you place your order, as all materials are purchased after you place your order.

Raven can create drums with the following hides (when available – please note that rare hides are not available year-round or in all sizes!):

Moose (rare)
Buffalo/Bison
Cow/Steer
Goat
Elk
Horse
Bear (rare)
Deer

Prices vary based on the drum size and the hides’ rarity. Drum prices begin around $150 for basic 12″ Deer drum and goes up from there. The list above shows hides in order or thickness with Moose being the thickest. The sound your drum will have will vary based on the thickness of the hide as well as the size of the drum. The thicker the hide and the larger the drum the deeper the sound.

Things to keep in Mind

Most people want the deep drum sound, so the 20″ Moose would be the deepest of them all. Before you select your drum, keep the following in mind:

You will usually be playing the drum for a while—the larger the drum, the heavier it is. The 14 and 16-inch drums tend to be the most popular because they offer a nice balance between portability and sound.
The thicker the hide, the more susceptible your drum is to climate and weather. Moose drums tend to go flat very quickly in cold and humid weather. Most of the time, they must be warmed up before they are played. You can do so by stroking your drum using the heat of your hand or by placing the drum near a fire. This can happen with any drum, but in my experience, the thicker hide drums (Moose or very thick Buffalo) are more prone to this.
Your drum is more than its parts. Once a drum is created, it has a spirit. You will need to connect with your drum to find out what that drum wants to work on with you. For example, a drum made of deer hide may not necessarily want to work with all things deer.
When we order drum hides, we receive what the supplier sends us. There is no way to guarantee thickness, color, markings, etc. I firmly believe that the drum meant for you will be the drum you will receive. A drum is a spiritual tool; spirits generally know these things better than us!
Drum sounds will vary from drum to drum. The sound is the voice of the drum, and just like people are different and have different voices and vibrations, so are the drums. This means that 2 drums of the same size and same hide may sound wildly different!
Drums are medicine tools. The longer you work with your drum, the more connected you will become to it.

Custom Art for your Drum

I love creating custom artwork on drums. Artwork on your drum can enhance the work you do with it. All of the artwork I create on drums is made with Acrylic Water-based paint. I do not add a coating to the drum, as it will change the sound of your drum, so the colors can fade a little over time. In many cultures, this fading is seen as honoring the drum. A drum that is loved and used often will fade faster than one that is not.

This artwork is also not rain-proof. So if you have custom art on your drum, be sure to not leave it out in the rain, as the pain can run. Lastly, I use stencils as a base design for all of the artwork I do – stencils can be combined and changed, so any elements you want to add to your drum can be added. If you are interested in custom artwork for a drum I make or an existing drum you may already have, you can use the form below to request a quote.

Below is a sampling of some of the custom art I have created for different drums:

Drum Pricing

Below is a pricing ballpark for drums. Please keep in mind that these prices are based on the cost of supplies, and as those costs go up and down, so do prices. The table below is meant to give you an idea on pricing – it is not final!:

Please note: Moose and Bear are very often out of stock. The prices are listed based on our supplier but currently both are out of stock. Price may change if they come back in-stock.

Deer	Bear	Horse	Elk	Goat	Steer/ Cow	Buffalo	Moose
12" $150	12" $285	12" $140	12" $150	N/A	12" $140	12" $150	12" $150
14" $315	14" $534	14" $300	14" $315	14" $265	14" $300	14" $325	14" $315
15" $330	15" $630	15" $315	15" $340	N/A	15" $330	15" $340	15" $415
16" $350	16" $700	16" $340	16" $370	16" $290	16" $355	16" $365	16" $460
18" $385	18" $790	18" $375	18" $415	18" $340	18" $385	18" $430	18" $485
20" $430	20" $870	20" $400	20" $450	20" $360	20" $430	20" $475	20" $500