Native American Style Flute 1800's Sioux Based Replica

Hand made Sioux Based Replica of late 1800's Courting Flute. Length of 26 1/2" with 7/8" diameter bore. 6 hole with pentatonic minor tuning. This replica is not based on any particular original native flute, but is of my own design and tribute to the Sioux flutes of the late 1800's. It has a brass flute plate and splitting edge.

The block is of my own design but is based on similar blocks from that era and is tied on with a leather thong. The most unique feature is the large Sandhill Crane head effigy with brass tacks for eyes. I hand painted the flute. And pyro etched the beak. To represent a Sandhill Crane. Which was a sacred bird to the Sioux. I included images of a Sandhill Crane that I used for inspiration. Made from Pine with a satin shellac finish.

Has leather thongs to re-create the bindings of those original flutes. I added two colored goose feathers attached with a leather thong for decoration.

All my flutes are hand made and one of a kind. I use only traditional woods in the construction of my replicas. Native Americans used woods like Pine, Cedar, Aspen, and Redwood because they were softwoods and easier to hand carve. I use the same woods. I research antique Plains Style Native American flutes in museums and private collections. Replicas are a real challenge to build as I usually have limited information about each flute. Most times I may know only the length or key or only have photos, but rarely do I have more than this to go on.

Because of this limitation, I make my replicas as close to the original flute as I can, but they are rarely an exact replica. I call it creating the flavor of the original. Almost all my flutes are completely hand built using no power tools. I carve the sound chambers with a scorp chisel and shape the exterior with antique hand planes that I inherited from my Master Craftsman Grandfather. I torch the interior sound chambers and apply shellac to seal them from moisture.

I also tune the flutes with burning rods in the sound holes. I hand sand using 3 different grits and hand rub on the non-toxic shellac finish. Native Americans hand carved their flutes and most have many imperfections.

I leave a few imperfections in the wood to give the flute a more authentic look. Native flutes also did not have high gloss finishes like many flute builders use today. I use only all natural shellac or Odie's Oil to create a realistic natural finish.

If you are looking for a perfect flute made on a computer controlled lathe and sprayed with high gloss lacquers, you probably want to look elsewhere. I take pride in that my flutes look like real native flutes from over 100 years ago. Besides playing very nicely, my flutes make great display pieces. All my flutes are tuned to +/- 20 cents on a chromatic tuner. 10 % of sale price is automatically donated to Wounded Warrior Project. To visit my website and see every replica I have made Copy and Paste this Link: davewhitakerphotography.