Francis Rock Pipestem

Francis “Rock” Pipestem drum-making inspiration comes from his Osage and Otoe-Missouria people’s ceremonies and traditions. His father, F. Browning Pipestem Sr., taught him how to make traditional drums. Through his father’s teachings and Pipestem’s innovations, he has had the honor of restoring the sacred drums of the Grayhorse and Hominy In-Lon-Schka and the Kiowa Black Leggings Society.

In 2005 at the opening festival and his son, Kingston, Pipestem demonstrated his drum making at the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) in Washington, D.C.

The traditional drum he created is kept at the Smithsonian Institute in its permanent collection.