The Native American flute is a musical instrument that is held in front of the player. It has open finger holes and two chambers: one for collecting the player's breath and another for creating sound. The player breathes into one end of the flute without using their mouth to shape the air. A block on the outside of the flute directs the breath from the first chamber, called the slow air chamber, into the second chamber, called the sound chamber. A sound hole near the player's hand in the sound chamber causes the air to vibrate. This vibration creates a steady pressure in the sound chamber, which produces sound.

Native American flutes come in many different designs, sizes, and styles. These variations are more diverse than those found in most other types of woodwind instruments.

Names

The instrument has many names. Some reasons for the different names are: the many ways the instrument is used (such as for courting), how widely it has been shared among different language groups and areas, laws (such as the Indian Arts And Crafts Act), and disagreements about the correct Native American names.

Some Native American names for the flute are:

• Cheyenne: tâhpeno
• Chippewa: bĭbĭ'gwûn
• Dakota: ćotaŋke
• Kiowa: do'mba'
• Lakota: Šiyótȟaŋka
• Opata: bícusirina (Teguima language)
• Unami: achipiquon (Lenape)
• Zuni: Tchá-he-he-lon-ne, which means "sacred warbling flute"

Other English names for the instrument include: American Indian courting flute, courting flute, Grandfather's flute, Indian flute, love flute, Native American courting flute, Native American love flute, Native American style flute (see the Indian Arts And Crafts Act), North American flute, Plains flute, and Plains Indian courting flute.

Names in other languages are:

• Bavarian: Indianafletn
• Dutch: Indiaans-Amerikaanse fluit
• Esperanto: indiĝena amerikana fluto
• French: Siyotanka
• German: Indianerflöte
• Hawaiian: Papa ʻAmelika ʻohe kani
• Japanese: ネイティブアメリカンフルート, romanized: Neitibu amerikan furūto
• Korean: 인디언 피리, romanized: indieon pili
• Polish: Flet indiański
• Russian: Индейская флейта, romanized: indeiskaya fleita
• Portuguese: Flauta Nativa Americana

By agreement, the English name of the instrument is written with capital letters as "Native American flute." This follows the same rule used for other musical instruments with cultural names, such as "French horn."

The most common term for someone who plays the Native American flute is "flutist." This term is used more often than "flautist." The term "flute maker" is most often used for people who create Native American flutes.

Organology

The instrument is classified in the 2011 revision of the Hornbostel–Sachs system by the MIMO Consortium as 421.23—Flutes with an internal part made from a natural node or resin block and an external cover attached using cane, wood, or hide. This classification also includes the Suling.

Although Native American flutes are played by blowing air into one end, they are not strictly end-blown flutes because they use a special sound-making part with an external block attached to the instrument.

The presence of open finger holes—holes played by directly placing and removing fingers, rather than using keys—classifies the Native American flute as a simple system flute.

History

There are many stories about how different Indigenous peoples of the Americas created the flute. One story says that woodpeckers made holes in hollow branches while looking for termites. When the wind blew through the holes, people nearby heard music. Another story from the Tucano culture describes a creature named Uakti, who had holes in his body. When he ran or the wind blew through him, he made sounds.

It is not well known how the Native American flute was designed before 1823. Some possible influences include:

• Branches or stalks with holes made by insects that made sounds when the wind blew.
• The design of the atlatl, a tool used for hunting.
• Clay instruments from Mesoamerica.
• The Anasazi flute made by the Ancestral Puebloans of Oasisamerica.
• Native Americans building organ pipes as early as 1524.
• Recorders brought from Europe.
• Flutes from the Tohono O'odham culture (often called "Papago flutes"). These flutes are not considered Native American flutes because they do not have an external block. Instead, the player uses their finger to create a flue over the sound mechanism. This style may have influenced the Native American flute.

• Flutes from the Akimel O'odham culture (often called "Pima flutes"). These flutes may have developed from Tohono O'odham flutes, with the addition of a piece of cloth over the sound mechanism to act as an external block.

It is also possible that instruments were brought from other cultures during migrations.

Flutes from the Mississippian culture have been found that have the two-chambered design seen in Native American flutes. These flutes were made from river cane. The oldest known example is kept at the University of Arkansas Museum in Fayetteville. It was found around 1931 by Samuel C. Dellinger and later identified as a flute by James A. Rees, Jr. of the Arkansas Archeological Society. This flute is called "The Breckenridge Flute" and was estimated to be from 750–1350 CE. In 2013, a sample from the flute was dated to 1020–1160 CE (95% probability).

The earliest known Native American flute made of wood was collected in 1823 by the Italian explorer Giacomo Costantino Beltrami during his search for the headwaters of the Mississippi River. It is now in the collection of the Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali in Bergamo, Italy.

Construction

The two ends of a Native American flute along its length are called the head end (the end closest to the player’s mouth—also called the North end, proximal end, or top end) and the foot end (also called the bottom end, distal end, or South end).

The Native American flute has two air chambers: the slow air chamber (also called the SAC, compression chamber, mouth chamber, breath chamber, first chamber, passive air chamber, primary chamber, or wind chamber) and the sound chamber (also called the pipe body, resonating chamber, tone chamber, playing chamber, or variable tube). A plug (also called an internal wall, stopper, baffle, or partition) inside the instrument separates the slow air chamber from the sound chamber.

The block on the outside of the instrument is a separate part that can be removed. The block is also called the bird, the fetish, the saddle, or the totem. The block is tied by a strap onto the nest of the flute. The block moves air through a flue (also called the channel, furrow, focusing channel, throat, or windway) from the slow air chamber to the sound chamber. The block is often in the shape of a bird.

Note that flutes of the Mi'kmaq culture are typically constructed from a separate block, but the block is permanently fixed to the body of the flute during construction (usually with glue). Even though these flutes do not have a movable block, they are generally considered to be Native American flutes.

The precise alignment and position of the block along the flute’s length is critical to achieving the desired sound. The position also has a small effect on the pitches produced by the flute, giving the player a range of about 10–40 cents of pitch adjustment.

The slow air chamber has a mouthpiece and breath hole for the player’s breath. Air flows through the slow air chamber and up the ramp, through the exit hole, and into the flue.

The slow air chamber can act as a secondary resonator, which can give some flutes a distinctive sound.

The sound chamber contains the sound hole, which creates the vibration of air that produces sound when the airflow reaches the splitting edge. The sound hole can also be called the whistle hole, the window, or the true sound hole ("TSH"). The splitting edge can also be called the cutting edge, the fipple edge, the labium, or the sound edge.

The sound chamber also has finger holes that allow the player to change the frequency of the vibrating air. Changing the frequency of the vibration changes the pitch of the sound produced.

The finger holes on a Native American flute are open, meaning that the player’s fingers cover the holes (rather than metal levers or pads, as on a clarinet). This use of open finger holes classifies the Native American flute as a simple system flute. Because of the open finger holes, the flutist must be able to reach all the finger holes on the instrument with their fingers, which can limit the size of the largest flute (and lowest-pitched flute) that a given flutist can play. The finger holes can also be called the note holes, the playing holes, the tone holes, or the stops.

The foot end of the flute can have direction holes. These holes affect the pitch of the flute when all the finger holes are covered. The direction holes also relate to (and derive their name from) the Four Directions of East, South, West, and North found in many Indigenous American stories. The direction holes can also be called the tuning holes or wind holes.

In addition to the Components of the Native American flute diagram shown above with English-language labels, diagrams are available with labels in Cherokee, Dutch, Esperanto, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Russian, and Spanish.

An alternate design for the sound mechanism uses a spacer plate to create the flue. The spacer plate sits between the nest area on the body of the flute and the removable block. The spacer plate is typically held in place by the same strap that holds the block on the instrument. The splitting edge can also be incorporated into the design of the spacer plate.

The spacer plate is often made of metal, but spacer plates have also been made of wood, bark, and ceramic.

When positioning and securing the removable block with the strap, the use of a spacer plate provides an additional degree of control over the sound and tuning of the flute. However, it also adds a degree of complexity when performing the task of securing both the block and the spacer plate.

Various sources describe attributes of Native American flutes that are termed "Plains style" and "Woodlands style." However, there is no general agreement among sources about what these terms mean. According to various sources, the distinction is based on:

• whether the flute uses a spacer plate to create the flue of the instrument,
• whether the flue is in the body of the flute or the bottom of the block,
• the sharpness of the angle of the splitting edge,
• whether the finger holes are burned or bored into the body of the flute,
• the design of the mouthpiece (blunt and placed against the lips vs. designed to go between the lips),
• the timbre of the sound of the flute, or
• details of the fingering for the primary scale.

While many contemporary Native American flutes are made from milled lumber, some flutes are made from a branch of a tree. The construction techniques vary widely, but some makers of branch flutes will attempt to split the branch down a centerline, hollow out the inside, and then join the halves back together for the completed flute.

A double Native American flute is a type of double flute. It has two sound chambers that can be played at the same time. The two chambers could have the same length or be different lengths.

The secondary sound chamber can hold a fixed pitch, in which case the term "drone flute" is sometimes used. The fixed pitch could match the fingering of the main sound chamber with all the finger holes covered, or it could match another pitch on the main sound chamber. Alternatively, various configurations of finger holes on the two sound chambers can be used, in which case terms such as "harmony flute" or "harmonic flute" are sometimes used.

Extending this concept, Native American flutes with three or more chambers have been made. The general term "multiple flute" is sometimes used for these designs.

Some Native American flutes constructed using traditional techniques were made using measurements based on the body. The length of the flute was the distance from the inside of the elbow to the tip of the index finger. The length of the slow air chamber was the width of the fist. The distance between the sound hole and the first finger hole was the width of the fist. The distance between finger holes was the width of a thumb. The distance from the last finger hole to the end of the flute was the width of the fist.

Flute makers today use many methods to design the dimensions of their flutes. This is important for the location of the finger holes, since they control the pitches of the different notes of the instrument. Flute makers may use calculators to design their instruments, or use dimensions provided

Physical and mental benefits of the flute

A study that looked at how the body reacts to playing Native American flutes found that it helped improve heart rate variability, which is a measure that shows how well the body handles stress.

Today, the Native American flute is still used in music therapy. This type of music, called Ojibwe music, helps people with cancer, heart problems, or those in hospice care manage feelings of anxiety, restlessness, fear, and pain. Playing the flute can help patients feel more accomplished and support their recovery. It teaches patients to take deep breaths and blow air through the flute in a controlled way, which helps them practice using their lungs.

Modern Native American flutes can be designed to make them easier to play, including custom designs for individual players. However, not much research has been done on how comfortable these instruments are to use. One study found that between 47% and 64% of players felt some physical discomfort at least some of the time, and more than 10% of players often felt moderate discomfort.

Sound and tuning

The most common scale used in Native American flutes made since the mid-1980s is the pentatonic minor scale. This scale includes the root note, minor third, perfect fourth, perfect fifth, minor seventh, and the octave.

In recent years, some flute makers have started using different scales, which gives players more choices for creating music.

Before the mid-1980s, many Native American flutes did not follow a standard pitch. However, modern flutes are often tuned to a standard concert pitch, making it easier to play with other instruments.

The root keys of modern Native American flutes cover a range of about three and a half octaves, from C2 to A5.

Early recordings of Native American flutes can be found in several places.

Most Native American flutes have five or six finger holes, but some may have between zero and seven finger holes. A thumb hole may also be included on some instruments.

The way to play different notes on Native American flutes is not the same across all flutes. However, many modern flutes use the fingering shown in the diagram to play the primary scale.

Although the pentatonic minor scale is most common on modern Native American flutes, many flutes can play notes from the chromatic scale using special finger positions called cross-fingerings.

Authentic Native American flutes and Native American-style flutes are available in many different keys and tuning systems. These options are more varied than those for most other woodwind instruments. Instruments tuned to equal temperament are available in all keys within their range. Other tuning systems, such as just intonation, and pitch standards, such as A4 = 432 Hz, are also used.

A unique sound found in some Native American flutes, especially traditional ones, is called a warble. This sound seems to move between two pitches, but it is actually caused by different parts of the same sound becoming louder at different times.

John W. Coltman studied flute acoustics and identified two types of warbles. One type is caused by a "nonlinearity in the jet current" and has a frequency of about 20 Hz. The second type involves changes in the sound’s amplitude across all parts of the note, but this type is not fully understood.

The warble can be mimicked using vibrato techniques. A spectrograph can show the phase shift between different harmonic parts of a warbling flute’s sound.

Music written for Native American flutes is often in the key of F-sharp minor, though some music is written in other keys. Music in F-sharp minor uses a key signature with four sharps, which is known as "Nakai tablature."

The use of finger diagrams below the notes in written music is common but not part of Nakai tablature.

Because written music for Native American flutes can use a standard key signature across different keys, the instrument is classified as a transposing instrument.

Music

Early anthropologists, such as Alice Cunningham Fletcher, Franz Boas, Frank Speck, Frances Densmore, and Francis La Flesche, made many ethnographic recordings. Only a small number of these recordings included Native American flute playing. One catalog lists 110 ethnographic recordings made before 1930.

These recordings show traditional flute styles used by many Indigenous cultures in different places.

However, there are legal and ethical problems about who can access these early recordings. Because of past cases of wrong use of materials recorded in their lands, Indigenous communities now say they should decide if, how, and under what conditions parts of their cultural traditions can be studied, recorded, reused, or shown by researchers, museums, businesses, and others.

Between 1930 and 1960, few people played the Native American flute in public or allowed recordings to be made. However, a few recordings from this time are available for sale. One example is by Belo Cozad, a Kiowa flute player who recorded for the U.S. Library of Congress in 1941.

In the late 1960s, the United States experienced a revival of interest in the Native American flute. A new group of flutists and artisans, such as Doc Tate Nevaquaya, John Rainer, Jr., Sky Walkinstik Man Alone, and Carl Running Deer, began playing the instrument.

The music of R. Carlos Nakai became popular in the 1980s, especially after his album "Canyon Trilogy" was released in 1989. His music showed a change in style from traditional playing to include the New-age genre. Mary Youngblood won two Grammy Awards for her Native American flute music in 2002 and 2006. She is the only Native American flutist to receive this honor, as the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences stopped the Native American Music category in 2011.

Today, Native American flutes are played and recognized by many people and cultures around the world.

The Native American flute has inspired many informal music groups that meet regularly to play and learn more about the instrument. These groups are called flute circles.

Several national organizations support these local flute circles:
• WFS — World Flute Society (U.S.A.)
• FTF — FluteTree Foundation (U.S.A.) (formerly RNAFF, Renaissance of the North American Flute Foundation)
• JIFCA — Japan Indian Flute Circle Association (日本インディアンフルートサークル協会) (Japan)

The Native American flute is popular among flutists because of its simple design. According to a thesis by Mary Jane Jones:

Notable and award-winning Native American flutists include: R. Carlos Nakai, Charles Littleleaf, Joseph Firecrow, Kevin Locke, Robert Mirabal, and Mary Youngblood.

A few classical composers have written music for the Native American flute, including Brent Michael Davids, James DeMars, Philip Glass, Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate, and Fabio Mengozzi.

Legal issues

The 1990 Indian Arts and Crafts Act of the United States makes it illegal to falsely label goods as being made by Native Americans. In the United States, claiming that an artifact is made by "an Indian" when it is not is a serious crime. The US Department of the Interior explains on its website that, "Under the Act, an Indian is defined as a member of any federally or state-recognized Indian Tribe, or an individual certified as an Indian artisan by an Indian Tribe."

According to this law, only a flute made by someone who meets the definition of an Indian under the Act can legally be called a "Native American flute" or "American Indian flute." While there is no official list of acceptable alternative terms, it is common practice for makers or sellers to use other labels, such as "Native American style flute" or "North American flute." Labels like "in the style of," "in the spirit of," or "replica" may also be used legally.

However, this law only applies to handmade arts and crafts sold to the public. It does not apply to the use of Native American flutes in activities such as performances, workshops, or recordings.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 makes it illegal (without a special permission) to use materials from birds protected by the law in musical instruments. This rule applies to the eagle-bone whistle, which may or may not be classified as a Native American flute depending on how it is made.

Documentaries

• Songkeepers (1999, 48 min.). Directed by Bob Hercules. Produced by Dan King. Lake Forest, Illinois: America's Flute Productions. Five respected traditional flute artists – Tom Mauchahty-Ware, Sonny Nevaquaya, R. Carlos Nakai, Hawk Littlejohn, Kevin Locke – discuss their instruments, their music, and the importance of the flute in their cultures.
• Journey to Zion (2008, 44 min.). A documentary by Tim Romero. Santa Maria, California: Solutions Plus. A documentary that shows Native flute enthusiasts attending the Zion Canyon Art & Flute Festival in Springdale, Utah, which is the entrance to Zion National Park.