DCM 0541: Anonymous, North American Indian (Sioux) Courting Flute (Vertical Whistle Flute)

DCM ledger: "Sioux Indian." See DCM 539. Tied into the upper retaining thong is a large bird feather to which is attached a piece of yellow ribbon further ornamented with a small swatch of red ribbon.
Instrument type: Courting Flute (Vertical Whistle Flute)
Medium: Redwood(?), leather thong. Brass mouth pipe, lead flue plate.; 47.3 cm.
Key Holes System: 0/5 holes.
Mark Maximum: No mark.
Provenance: N. E. Carter, Elkhorn, Wisconsin, 29 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.