DCM 0791: Anonymous, North American Indian (Mandan) Courting Flute (Vertical Whistle Flute)

DCM ledger: "Mandan." The brass mouthpipe appears to have been a shell casing.
Instrument type: Courting Flute (Vertical Whistle Flute)
Medium: Unidentified soft wood, entirely covered with a length of animal intestine (DCM understood to be of buffalo), rawhide, brass, lead.; 64.6 cm.
Key Holes System: 0/6 holes (the lowest of the 6 has been plugged with wood) plus 4 long vent holes plus 4 small round vent holes at the end.
Mark Maximum: No mark.
Provenance: Albert G. Heath, Chicago, 16 May 1928.

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.