Native American flutes are extremely popular for use in ceremonies and rituals, or as home decor collection pieces. I have always enjoyed Native flute music for its beautiful sound quality and ability to bring a peaceful calm to the ambiance where it is played. Listening to Native flutes always bring back memories of my mother's kitchen where she often played flute music to invite a tranquil peace into her home. The soothing flute music cures the soul and creates a soothing affect on the lives of all who listen.
If you read about the history of Indian instruments, you will realize that along with the drum, the flute plays a big role in the daily lives, ceremonies and cultures of many Indigenous Tribes. Native American flute music takes you on a spiritual journey where descedants look to their ancestors to lead them, and use their instruments to unite them with the Spirits.
Flutes of various types have existed for centuries and have been part of many Indigenous cultures around the world. The research of flute instruments in history shows us that they did exist in ancient Tribes. The origin and design of the Native American flute is a little more complicated to find due to the fact that there were no written languages among North American Tribes at that time. It wasn't until explorers and travelers documented their journeys, that record of the Native American flute is noted.
You can't take in the true value of Native flute music until you see that men came close to extinguishing this incredible art from with rigid assimilation rules. The 1900's brought with it oppressive rules for Native Americans that tried to stifle their culture and people. Along with many other Inigenous traditions, these rules stopped the dispersion of Native flute music. It wasn't until the middle of the century that assimilation laws started to alleviate and Native traditions were able to be practiced within the Tribe and out in the open once again. Over time, the popularity of the Native American flute hightened to the extent that flute makers began making these instruments in large numbers to sell, and not just for individual playing purposes. The materials used to make the flutes also shifted from rough and crude instruments to more improved, with the use of modern power tools and the ability to obtain a variety of woods, plastics and metals.
Now days, there are various choices available when buying a Native style flute, and it is just a matter of personal preference. There are some recommendations you should keep in mind though when choosing an instrument. There are various styles of flutes, but all have one of two different sound qualities. The sound quality of the flute depends on whether it is a Plains style or a Woodlands style. A Plains style flute produces a buzz type sound while a Woodlands style will produce a bell sound. No matter which type of flute you choose, it is a good idea to look over the quality of that specific instrument, including the mouthpiece, size, shape and number of holes, in order to choose one that is right for you. Native American flutes are also made of many different types of wood ranging from exquisite, rather costly woods, to basic pieces of pine, cane or bamboo.
Because of the widespread enthusiasm of flute music, you can easily buy Native American flutes online, in some music stores, and in specialty shops that sell Indian musical instruments and southwestern home decorating accessories. If you are interested in finding an easy instrument for playing purposes, or are searching for genuine Indian musical instruments to use in Native rituals and powwows, consider keeping the cultural practices and music of Indigenous people alive with the soothing harmony of Native American flutes.
