Natives to Know: Tachini Pete

Salish and Diné (Navajo)

In a packed ballroom in a luxury hotel in the middle of Las Vegas this April, seven handmade drums sat waiting to be awarded to their new drum keepers. The drums were bestowed on business leaders recognized at the 2023 Reservation Economic Summit 

for their outstanding contributions to economic growth in Indian Country. They were made by Tachini Pete, of Tachini Drums.

Tachini Pete is the oldest of his mother’s seven children. He was raised between the Flathead Reservation of his mother’s Salish people, and the Navajo Reservation of his father’s Diné community. Pete grew up around the drum. His entire family are singers and dancers, and he was raised in traditional ceremony and spiritual practices. 

Pete has been crafting drums since 1991, creating thousands of drums for all manner of customers. And he’s parlayed this calling into an opportunity to support another of his passions — the revitalization of the Salish language. A portion of the sale of every drum goes to support this cause. 

In addition to his work at Tachini Drums, Pete serves as the Executive Director of the  Nkwusm Language Immersion School where the English-to-Salish dictionary he wrote helps to preserve the Salish language for generations to come.