Pib-be-gwun or Siyontanka
Unknown Artist
A Native American flute is divided by an internal plug into two chambers. The player's breath is routed out of the tube as it encounters the plug and is redirected to the second chamber by a thin metal spacer positioned under a block (often carved as an animal) secured by a cord. Formerly restricted to men in sacred ritual and courting contexts, it is today an instrument with a growing social and secular repertoire.
Credit: The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889
19th century
Wood, skin
43.7 x 3.6 x 8.1 cm
89.4.579
Image and text © Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2023
Where you'll find this
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Permanent collection