Through the 20th century, women across North Africa and the Middle East owned and played drums for their own pleasure and at festivals, parties and weddings. They often patterned their drum heads with henna, just as they patterned their skin. Goat skin drum heads are easy to henna, and are hennaed the same way as skin is hennaed. Paints will chip, smear, or wear off a drum head, while henna will stain the hide and not wear, smear, chip or harm the head.
Personalised designs can be created.
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