African Drumming

A couple of nights ago I went to a talent show at my old middle school. One of the talents was a group of kids learning African drumming as a class. The teacher looked familiar both from around the neighborhood and from Curious George (which sometimes does little pieces with school children around JP)
I have heard that the time signature for some African drum beats can be really complicated. The Lion Dance beat is very simple.. on purpose. The beats send signals and is meant to follow as well as direct the lion head. Historically these drums might have also directed battles as well.
The beats of the African drums that night, some from the Igbo and other Nigerian cultures, were difficult to follow even when I found they were in 4-4. There was a pausing sense to it that went into another part of the consciousness. In fact I kind of felt like it tapped into a part of the brain near the top of your head. I've heard some of these drums can be used for Shamanistic purposes. Well I suppose any drums could be used for that purpose but there was a hint of that (I felt) in these songs which were celebratory dances.
There is Chinese music like this too, but I usually think of the Guzheng, especially in those very classic songs usually with words like "drunken" in their titles. But  there is something about it being on a drum, and a drum that is struck with the hand instead of a stick... like it is closer to home.

At the Kung Fu school one day we were having a discussion of buying drums from China (the school having just bought one) the cost, the process, shipping... and One of Sifu's friends, not a lion dancer or drummer, but still a guy from China, was like, "Don't they have drums they make here? Why can't you just use a Western drum?" That question is absurd to someone who does traditional lion dance, the type where you carry on the tradition and need to have your ceremony and equipment just so.
But if it isn't absurd to a civilian(who still does Kung Fu)  who is from rural China, then why should it be absurd for a half white half chinese AMERICAN, who is already going in a different direction in terms of teaching Kung Fu to kids.
Many times when teaching inner city kids, I found that they could already drum. But to learn the simple Chinese Lion Dance drum beats was difficult for some reason.  Now if I start to have more students I think it is good to show them the traditional way, just so that they know it. But if we get enough people to one day do an event or join a parade, why stress about making them learn the "proper" way to drum, on a "proper" drum. Just use any drum... especially for Kung Fu. In fact I think it would be really interesting to do forms to some of the African drum beats I heard a few days ago.