Talking Drums

The Lokele people are a tribe in Central Africa. It is the custom of

the Lokele people for young boys to learn important things from an

uncle on their mother’s side of the family. This story is about a

young Lokele boy named Sete. Read this story about something

special that Sete learns from his uncle.

said at last, “this one is perfect.” The piece of dried wood was

about as big around as his leg. Sete needed the bamboo to make a

practice drum. Later that day Sete would begin learning “drum

talk.” Drums had been used by Sete’s people to send messages

from one village to another for hundreds of years.

the drums. They thought other ways of communicating were

better. Sete was different, though. Many of his people still used

the drums, and Sete wanted to know what the messages said. He

also wanted to learn to make the drums speak. Sete’s uncle Baelo

would show Sete how to use the “talking drums.” Sete felt lucky to

have his uncle as an instructor. Everyone said that Uncle Baelo

was the finest drummer in the village, so Sete would learn much

from him.

graduate to a much larger one. The large drums were made from

the logs of padouk trees. They made sounds that could be heard

far away.  

when he arrived. Sete watched carefully as his uncle made the

bamboo stem into a drum. First his uncle cut a slit in the wood

using a special ax. Then he made the long, narrow cut deeper at

one end. By hitting this side of the bamboo with a stick, Sete could

make a deep, low sound. Then Uncle Baelo dug a smaller amount

of wood out of the other end. By hitting this side, Sete could make

a high sound. Later he would learn to use these sounds to make

words.  

practice the sounds again and again. "When you have learned

these sounds well, I’ll teach you how to drum some words.” Sete

drummed ki-ke—ki-ke until bedtime.  

the next day. “You know the sounds well.” Then he told Sete to

listen carefully to one of his favorite messages. Sete could hear the

difference.  

k lya botema.”  

Baelo.  

worry.'" 

the same time, he learned their meanings. One day Sete saw his

uncle coming from the far end of the village. Uncle Baelo was

carrying something large. As he got closer, Sete saw what it was.  

excitedly.  

sad, nephew,” Uncle Baelo said when he saw that the happiness

had disappeared from Sete’s face. “I made this drum for you as a

gift. It’s yours to keep. Use it wisely.”  

ran his hand over his smooth new drum and smiled. He waited

until the next day to use his gift for the first time. Uncle Baelo

was fishing on the river, but he would hear the message.  

ki-ke," he made his new drum say. "Sokolaka lik k lya botema."  

sounds. "I will take very good care of my fine new drum. And

someday I will show my own nephews how to make the drums

talk."

The Story of Stickeen

John Muir (1838-1914) was a well-known author and explorer

who helped establish the United States' national parks. He is best

known for his exploration of the mountains of California's Sierra

Nevada and the glaciers of Alaska.

tent into the rain. The other men were still asleep. Muir slipped

some bread into his pocket and made his way toward the large

glacier. He had come to Alaska to study these giant mountains of

ice, which can be miles wide.  

familiar sound behind him. He turned to see Stickeen, a little

black dog, following him.

only wagged his bushy tail. The dog always followed Muir, even

though he belonged to another man in the team of explorers.  

rain harder, and he knew crossing the glacier would be a

dangerous hike. He also knew that no matter what he did,

Stickeen would follow him. Anxious to explore the glacier, he gave

up the fight.  

close behind. The cracking ice on the glaciers made splits called

crevasses. These cracks in the ice are deep and wide. Muir knew

that he and Stickeen would have to cross many of these crevasses.

One slip on the icy surface could mean death for both of them.

often to eat a bit of bread. Muir kept a careful eye on Stickeen as

they hiked. He remembered another time when Stickeen had

followed him onto the glacier. Stickeen's feet had begun to bleed

from the sharp ice, but the little dog kept going. The little dog

showed no fear as he followed Muir.  

toward camp. Suddenly they came to a huge crevasse that was too

wide to jump over. Muir looked down and saw a narrow bridge of

ice about 25 feet below where they stood. It was too late in the day

to find another way back to camp. Muir knew that the icy bridge

was the only way across. If they didn't make it back to the

campsite, they might not survive the cold of night. The

temperature would drop so low, they would surely freeze to death.  

out some ice near the edge of the crevasse. He put his foot into the

depression. Then he leaned over the edge of the crevasse and

began cutting out another little foothold. While Muir worked,

Stickeen gave him a scared look and began to whimper.  

but it's not going to be easy."  

another one. He did this until he finally reached the narrow ice

bridge. He looked up to see whether Stickeen had followed, but the

dog had not moved.  

down at the thousand-foot drop. When he came to the end, he

again made a foothold in the ice. He made his way up the other

side. Across the way, Stickeen whined loudly.  

Stickeen was scared and that this would be difficult for the little

dog. Muir called for quite some time. Finally Stickeen, looking

straight into Muir's eyes, began to cross. He put his body in the

hollow Muir had made at the top of the ice. Then, front feet first,

the brave little dog slid down to the first foothold, then the second,

and then the next, until he slid down the bridge.  

however, he faced a new obstacle. The climb out of the crevasse

was very steep. Muir tried to reach down to grab the dog but

couldn't. Muir knew that dogs are poor climbers. He wasn't sure

how the dog was going to get to the top. As Muir tried to think of a

way to help the dog, Stickeen suddenly hooked his paws into the

foothold. He leaped up the wall to safety. With danger behind

them, the two danced on the glacier's edge.