Northern Plains shield cover
Northern Plains shield cover
Carved wooden flute decorated with rhinestones and dyed yellow leather and beaded fringe / Unknown
Essay/Description
Made by Woodrow Haney. Wooden flute decorated with dyed yellow leather. Beadwork on some of the leather strips. Engraved designs along the side of the flute. Two small rhinestones on the top.
Flutes have existed in Native American cultures since at least 625 C.E., when the earliest known flute was created. They have been made from many materials, including wood, reed, and bone, and are typically vertical. In the Plains region, the wooden flute’s soothing melodic sound is known as a courting instrument, whose sound would help a man woo his beloved (Fauntleroy 2006).