Many
years ago before the white man came, begins the story of how the flute
was given to the natives of this land. As the legend goes, it begins with
a young Indian boy who was lost, wandering aimlessly alone in the forest.
It was there in the forest that the Great Spirit saw him. Having pity on
one so young, he decided to give the boy a gift so that he would not be
alone. From the heavens he sent a small bird to sit upon the hollow branch
of a large tree. Underneath the shade of the tree sat the young boy. As
the brisk northern wind blew through the hollow branch, it produced a sound
which he had never heard before. Looking up he saw a bird perched high
in the tree. Soon the bird began to peck holes in the branch and with each
hole that the bird made, it changed the pitch of each note as the wind
continued to blow. The young boy realized that the beautiful sound came
from the hollow branch and that it was a gift to him from the Great Spirit.
He carefully climbed the tree to reach the branch and gently broke off
the branch. He blew into it, imitating the northern wind, thereby making
the beautiful sound. Later he would find his people and tell them about
his wonderful gift. This is how the first flute was brought to us by the
Great Spirit, and also why the small bird sits atop each flute. Legend
source: Crawford, T. R. & Joyce-Grendahl, J. Flute Magic: An Introduction
to the Native American Flute |
