Lebeha Drumming Center
The Lebeha Drumming Center was established in 2002 by Jabbar Lambey and Dorothy Pettersen, in Hopkins, Belize. Hopkins is a small coastal Garifuna community in the Stann Creek District of southern Belize. The center exists with the goals of keeping Garifuna music alive, passing traditional music along to young people in the community, and sharing music with visitors to Hopkins. The center’s focus is on traditional percussion music, though guitars have been donated and are also played. The young people who play and take lessons at the drumming center perform regularly, and in 2006, they recorded a CD entitled Traditional Garifuna Music played by Youth from Hopkins, Belize, published by Innova Recordings. The album was shortlisted for a Grammy Award nomination in the Traditional Music category. Garifuna instruments Traditional Garifuna drums, or garaones, are handmade of mahogany wood and deer hide. The drumhead is secured to the wooden body with cordage that is laced around the head and attached through holes at the bottom of the drum. These are tension drums; they are tuned by way of wooden pegs attached to the cordage that can be wound to tighten or loosen the drumhead. Additionally, these drums often have a thin