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DCM 0480: Red Fox, North American Indian (Qupaw) Courting Flute (Vertical Whistle Flute)
Summary
The instrument is finely finished on the exterior, the upper half being stained a rich brown, and the lower half having three color schemes consisting of a blond middle section area, with the fingerhole flat stained brown as above, and the lower fourth of the instrument painted black and containing 5 ventholes, 3 round and 2 shaped like a 4-pointed star. The flue plate is lead and the wood flue cover is carved like a horse's head and neck. The mouthpipe is a bored-out sewing thimble over a wooden inner pipe. Rather than lashed with a leather thong, the flue cover is attached with a braided steel wire. The maker appears to have had access to a well-equipped shop, including a wood lathe. DCM ledger quotes letter from Thurlow Lieurance, who gave the flute to Miller: "This was made by Red Fox, a Qupaw Indian at Miami Oklahoma. I suppose this will be the last flute ever made by an Indian of this tribe. There are only about one hundred of them left. The old fellow tried to make an elaborate instrument. I have never seen an Indian flute just like this one."
Instrument type: Courting Flute (Vertical Whistle Flute)
Medium: Tube of soft wood, pine or spruce, nickel silver bands.; 64.9 cm.
Key Holes System: 0/6 holes holes plus 5 vent holes. Fingerholes are bored into a flat section, which also has an intentionally carved finger notch just above the highest tonehole, indicating that the player played with right hand on top.
Mark Maximum: No mark.
Condition: Mouthpipe has been forced into the bore, thereby opening the seam at the upper end. It has been repaired with a brass wire.
Provenance: Thurlow Lieurance, Lincoln, Nebraska, 9 June 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.
Many native peoples in Mexico and Central America retain Indian identities and languages and also practice Roman Catholicism and speak Spanish. Musical instruments, genres, and styles borrowed from European culture have been adapted to native tastes and incorporated into traditional repertories. Mexican and Central American Indians emphasize instrumental music more than singing, and much of the traditional music from this region is performed by ensembles that incorporate several different instruments. Music, dance, and religious ceremonies are intertwined in Mexico and Central America, and music accompanies both collective and solo dances. Native Mexican and Central American musics may be divided into four main geographic areas: Northwestern Mexico, Central Mexico, the Maya area, and the Atlantic Coast.
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