Stories/Articles
Welcome to our story/article page. Here you will find submissions from our members
on any subject pertaining to Native American Flutes, or anything in general that members
feel may appeal to the masses.
Our first story comes from one of our members, Glenn.
Hi Bill,
I recently read something interesting from a fella of Mohawk decent, I asked him if he would be willing to share his traditional ways on being a flute maker, player and carrier with me so I could walk this path with more respect and understanding of these ways. While my ideals and beliefs are based mostly on the ways of the Lakota, Arapaho and Cheyenne, I find these Mohawk traditions sit very well in my heart. I don't know if you would like to use them in the flute circle, but I offer his words if you do.
His name is Sakoieta Widrick
Best regards and journey well
Glenn
She:kon, Glenn:
With us, as Mohawk people, the flute was a gift that was given to us at the time of creation by the Creator. We were taught that if a person who played the flute lived his life in a good and sacred manner that through the flute he would even be able to bring the dead back to life. So even in the construction of the flute, there was ceremony done when going out to select the wood to be used in making the flute. The flute was only supposed to be worked on when the maker was in a positive thanksgiving mindset. For each step there were prayers of thanksgiving put forth to Creator and to the spirit of the tree, that had given of itself for the making of the flute. When the flute was finished a song of thanksgiving or prayer was played on the flute to bless it and then a tobacco burning ceremony was done to sanction it. The flute would not be played again until it was played by the person whom the flute had been made for. He would be the only person ever to play a flute that had been made in that manner.
Being a carrier of the flute meant that one was no longer a warrior, in the sense that, the carrier was fighter. The only weapon to be used against any adversary was prayer, whether that was spoken prayer, sung or played on the flute. A Flute carrier then was also a person who showed great respect for the female energies, beginning with the Earth and then all other females, including the human beings, insects, animals, etc.
A flute carrier also had great respect for other spiritual traditions, other than their own and fully practiced spiritual understanding and fellowship of human beings with the created order. These are just a few of the teachings that go with carrying the flute as part of your bundle. Hope this helps. Take care and stay strong. Onen ki wahi.
Thanks for sharing that with us Glenn.
Here are a couple of poems, re-printed with permission from a Flute Making comrade in England.........Geoff Norman
Both poems I believe came about whilst playing his flutes and as such are related to the flute.
You can visit Geoff's great looking website by clicking HERE
JOURNEYS
Walks are special journeys
they can be hurried
but they cannot be shortened
their pace can change
but their paces cannot
a walk is only finished
when all steps are done
This is what I knew about journeys
and so, Hokagapi teaches me more
(as we breathe together)
instructs me in the craft of journeying
(as we walk together)
or, better still, reveals to me half-known skills
(as we sing together)
and half-remembered truths
(as we breathe and walk and sing together)
or, best of all, we learn by journeying together.
The journey of the morning starts with a few steps
(each note a step within reach)
the steps become a short walk
(each phrase this side of the horizon)
short walks join up to cover distance
(each song daring to breach the skyline)
the distance travelled marks a day
(each day a note in the long song)
each day a step in the long journey
Hokagapi and I
walk songs
sing steps
breathe days
together
as we journey
and thank each other
at each ending.
Flute Circle
We came together
and formed a circle
then went our separate ways.
That is not the end of the story
Whenever, for any one of us,
heart finds song,
fingers form note,
or tree gives flute,
we come together
and form a circle,
there are no separate ways
That is not the end of the story
Long after the last of our breaths
warms a bird
the echoes of our songs
will rise from earth to sky,
we will come together
and we will form our circle.
* Canada's Aurora Borealis Screensaver *