DCM 0533: Anonymous, North American Indian Courting Flute (Vertical Whistle Flute)

The wooden flue cover is carved in the form of a horse's head. DCM attributes to Iroquois, Betty Austin Hensley attributes to Cheyenne or Winnebago.
Instrument type: Courting Flute (Vertical Whistle Flute)
Medium: Wood, lead, leather.; 45.1 cm.
Key Holes System: 0/6 holes.
Mark Maximum: No mark.
Condition: Open seams due to shrinkage.
Provenance: N. E. Carter, Elkhorn, Wisconsin, 23 Dec. 1925.

The Dayton C. Miller collection in the Library of Congress, contains nearly 1,700 flutes and other wind instruments, statuary, iconography, books, music, trade catalogs, tutors, patents, and other materials mostly related to the flute. It includes both Western and non-Western examples of flutes from around the world, with at least 460 European and American instrument makers represented. Items in the collection date from the 16th to the 20th century.