DCM 0585: Anonymous, North American Indian (Sioux) Courting Flute (Vertical Whistle Flute)

DCM ledger: "Sioux Indian."
Instrument type: Courting Flute (Vertical Whistle Flute)
Medium: Soft wood, pine(?), carved snake stained light red clay color, traces of yellow paint still remain. Lead flue plate, cover of pipestone. Leather.; 59.7 cm.
Key Holes System: 0/5 holes.
Mark Maximum: No mark.
Condition: The stone flue cover is either broken and missing a major portion of its original image, or purposely incomplete.
Provenance: N. E. Carter, Elkhorn, Wisconsin, 5 May 1926.

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.