SPIRIT EAGLE NATIVE AMERICAN FLUTE

Spirit Eagle Native American flute by Christin Dennis

     Dear Friends

       I am auctioning one of my greatest creations the Spirit Eagle Flute. I spent many hours carving her with lots of late nights. She is 24 inches long and has 3/4 inch inside bore diameter. This is a 3 piece flute meaning the flute is split and glued together with bird or block making it a 3 piece flute. I learned that this was the traditional way my Ancestors did it and I too am following suit. I hand finish the bore with fine sandpaper up to 2000 grit then polish with beeswax, not much but enough to give a fine coat. I have found out that these instruments play well without being coated on the inside; like a guitar or a violin, hard on the outside but soft on the inside, this allows the wood to sing and not sound like a whistle flute. My coating is acrylic lacquer like a guitar finish. The wood is Chinese Cedar. I was fortunate enough to get this wood from my sister who works at a plant making children's playgrounds so the intention of the wood is good. I carved eagle feather tuning holes painted copper as well as regular tuning holes; the more air circulating out will give it a stronger voice or at least I think so. I have put an eagle-like feather on the carved loop underneath the eagle's beak but will supply leather for you to put your own sacred feather to personalize it to your own. The leather strapping is beautiful coloured buckskin from the Six Nations reserve in Ontario, Canada. Just to let you know I am from Chippewa’s of Sarnia Ontario, Canada. The flute case is constructed from buckskin and fleece and has a soft silk-like interior with a Velcro side opening rather than the top opening. I felt it to be more appropriate to open from the side so the beak cannot be damaged from pulling it out. I made this as well. I did well in home economics in school; grateful that I took that course. The stand I made from wood found by the river and kept it flat finish so the eagle would be distinct from the stand. The base is western red cedar painted flat black with a quartz crystal. The fur mounted on the stand is beaver from my friend who has been an Algonquian trapper for 30 years north of Mattawa, Quebec. The flute block is decorated with turquoise paint as are the inner holes of the eagle eyes, thus naming it "Spirit Eagle”.

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      I feel that this flute is destined for someone other than myself but if this does not go to someone then it was meant to stay with me and that would be wonderful also. I will sign my traditional name "Gzhaaqwat" meaning "Fast Moving Cloud" and title it "Spirit Eagle" on the bottom near the mouth piece.

     In Spirit, Christin