Water Drumming
Nature as an Instrument, tempered into the purest form of song.
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Water Drumming
Water Drumming is the traditional art of using water as an instrument. While they were initially chants to teach children in the Southern Floodlands about their history and the world they live in. The Alluvians have since refined the practice into a rich tradition of music-powered communal storytelling. This has lead to a strong southern tradition of teaching children via communal instruction compared to the the more centralized schools of the north. Due to the necessity of being able to survive in the water, the farthest north this tradition made it was the middling portions of the Dytikan Coast with few being willing to trust the cool winter waters with their bodies. However, knowledge of the tradition is commonplace across Ithungsida with modern performances of the practice being performed by entertainers in cities as varied as Izala and Moldatun.History
While many attribute the invention of Water Drumming to those migratory tribes that go from as far as the shores of the peninsulas all the way to those refuges in the Forkmaw Range and return, the oldest myths and those records that have survived the ages tell a different story. In the distant past, the Southern Floodlands were said to have been the same height and consistency as the Dytikan Coast or the Highlands, with the yearly floods being restrained by the same immense cliffs that still stand supporting the likes of Aegis. Yet, the floodlands are now hundreds of feet lower than their ancient heights, with many spots such as the Sea of Hearts being at or below the height of the water itself. While this may seem like a diversion from the initial topic, the sinking of the Floodlands and the Southern Desert are both attributed to Water Drummers. Elven records and Human folktales agree that this was caused by a catastrophe in the middle of one of the first wars against Vhaskus. Powerful wielders of DraKaise forcing the armies back with acts that rival our current understanding of the capabilities of magic. One of the final acts was one of desperation with millions of people forced back into the Highlands. The splashing, clapping, chants that ring through many of the rivers and landscapes of Forkden are known as Water Drumming. This is largely a rural tradition, said to have been invented by migratory Human tribes that began walking back to their yearly homes while the yearly floodwaters were still flowing out to the oceans. On these walks, they would sing and chant histories and songs as they made their way home. During these walks, children playing in the waters found that they could make noises and sounds along with the chants. In time, these children's noises and chants transformed into something entire villages could take part in. With up to hundreds of people singing together and performing intricate musical performances. However, it has also been reduced to official performance groups of 6-10 people that perform in specialized waist-high basins in cities and areas across Ithungsida. While the practice originated in the depths of the Southern Floodlands, cities like Izala and Aegis have also adopted this form of music making with native groups performing in their own fashions and incorporating anything from magic to other instruments into the performance.Participants
Professional
Communal
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