20″ – Frog coming out of the Ground – painted Hand Drum

20″ Deer drum made by Erik Milton and painted by John Goodwin/Nytom.

“What Frogs Tell Us”

The people of the Northwest didn’t have calendars or clocks to tell time or the day of the month.  By listening to the sounds around them of nature, they were able to understand the changing of seasons in their world.  For example, as winter came to an end they would hear the frogs coming out from their winter sleep indicating the change in seasons.  The changes in the different seasons also brought on new songs like “Frogs coming out of the Ground” and welcoming the season of Spring.