Cedar flute with leather and painted decoration / Harding Big Bow

Essay/Description

A cedar wood flute with six holes on its top. End painted in stripes of red, black, green, and turquoise. Stop is carved and varnished piece of grooved cedar painted turquoise and red with dots. Turquoise, black, and red stripes outline the "reed" slot. Four leather thongs are tied to the flute and four red, black, and turquoise designs are painted on either side resembling bird heads with beaks. "H. Big Bow" is carved on the right side of the flute just below the reed.

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Anthropology Item Information

©Gilcrease Museum

Title(s):

Cedar flute with leather and painted decoration

Creator(s):

Harding Big Bow (Used by)

Culture:

Native American; Kiowa

Date:

late 20th century

Period:

Historic

Place:

Mountain View, Oklahoma, Southern Plains, United States of America

Materials/Techniques:

wood, leather, metal, paint

Classification:

Ethnographic Objects

Object Type:

Flute

Credit Line:

Gift of Pearl Big Bow

Accession No:

84.2907

Previous Number(s):

TL1997.73.17

Department:

Anthropology

Collection:

Kravis Discovery Center

Not On View

Dimensions

Overall:

Height: 2 15/16in. (7.4cm)
Width: 1 23/50in. (3.7cm)
Length: 19 29/32in. (50.5cm)

About the Creator(s)

From Gilcrease Museum:

Creator:

Harding Big Bow

Biography:

Mr. Big Bow was a roadman and organizational leader in the Native American Church, having served as the President of the Native American Church of Oklahoma. He was also an easel painter in the Kiowa style. He was the co-organizer of the exhibition project that became "Symbols of Faith and Belief: The Art of the Native American Church" alongside Gilcrease Senior Curator at the time Daniel Swan. After his death, his wife Pearl Big Bow gave his NAC equipment and other objects to Gilcrease Museum. Mr. Big Bow's life work, and art are described in various publications, especially Dan Swan's (1999) "Peyote religious Art", Jackson: University of Mississippi; (1990) Southern Plains Indian Museum and Crafts Center: Symbolic Paintings by Harding Big Bow, Anadarko.

Role(s):

Used by

From Getty's Union List of Artist Names:

Names (all):

Big Bow, Harding

Birth Date:

1921

Death Date:

1997

Nationalities:

Native American

Roles:

Kiowa painter and flute maker, 1921-1997

Gender:

male

Cite this Page

Big Bow, Harding. Cedar flute with leather and painted decoration. 84.2907. Kravis Discovery Center. late 20th century. Tulsa: Gilcrease Museum, https://collections.gilcrease.org/object/842907 (09/19/2018).

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