The cermonial drum is a instrument used in the Siberian regions in ritual contexts. When it is used, it is often accompanied with some sort of singing. The drums have been classified from their traits such as knop and frame design, size, absence and presence of motifs on the membrane, ornaments, etc. There are therefore two main groups of drums: internal and external designed knobs. Drums with internal knobs are found amongst tjuktjer, Asian and North American inuits. Drums with external designed knobs have larger spreading and are divided into four types:

• West Siberian type (Khant, Mansi, Nenets)
• South Siberian type (groups living above and mid regions of the Yenisei River) and has many variations (Sajano-Yeniseic, Sjoric, Altaic)
• Mid Siberian type with two variants (Evenki-Yakutic and Nganasans-Entsic)
• Middle East type (Nanayians, Udegeyians, Ulchians, Nivkhians, Ainu-ians, Evenkians, Buryatsians,Yukagirians, Dolganians, Orochians, Orokians, Negidalians and Zabaykalska Evenkians, that is Evenkians from the region far Lake Baikal, where also two types are characteristic: Amursic and Zabaykalic)

The historical Saami drum, sometimes termed Rune drum, belonged to the South Siberian kind, Sajano_Yeniseic subtype. (Those are, however, very similar to the Sjoric subtypes.) An intresting note is that the Sami language for drum is kannus, kobdas; the Altaic term are komus. The Sami drum_stick term is arpa; the Altaic term is orba.

See also: Rune drum