The wooden drum dance is an indispensable dance in traditional sacrificial activities of the Wa Minority in China. The dance, led by a sorcerer, is performed throughout the sacrificial rituals held in the twelfth month of the lunar calendar each year.
The wooden drum is a "divine instrument" handed down from one generation to another among the Wa people. It is regarded as the source of the procreation of the Wa Minority. According to the Wa legend, in the beginning of the creation of the world, a huge flood almost engulfed all lives on earth, but the Wa people's ancestors were saved by the god with a wooden tank. So the Wa people survived till this day. Since then, the wooden tank has been worshiped with the ultimate piousness by the Wa people.
The two-meter-plus-long wooden drum used in the dance symbolizes the tank. In sacrificial dances, the wooden drum gives out low and deep sounds, with clear and melodious rhythms from time to time, providing ideal accompaniment.