Anasazi flute
Encyclopedia
The Anasazi flute is the name of a pre-historic end-blown flute
replicated today from findings at a massive cave in Prayer Rock Valley in Arizona
, USA by an archaeological expedition led by Earl H. Morris in 1931
. The team excavated 15 caves and the largest amongst these had 16 dwellings and many artifacts including several wooden flutes, which gave the site its name, the Broken Flute Cave.
The flutes found in the cave was dated between 620 and 670 AD. They were all made of Box Elder
, have 6 finger holes and are end-blown. It is similar in many respects to a Hopi flute, which has only five finger holes.
A detailed analysis using radiocarbon dating techniques was published in 2007. The analysis included one item from a burial pit in the Broken Flute Cave. The dating placed the artifact in the range 599-769 CE.
The Anasazi flute has in recent years been reproduced and restored to the catalog of World flutes. While difficult to play in many respects, it has a rich, warm voice that spans a little over one and a half octaves.
End-blown flute
The end-blown flute or rim-blown flute is a keyless woodwind instrument played by directing an airstream against the sharp edge of the upper end of a tube. Unlike a recorder or tin whistle, there isn't a ducted flue voicing, also known as a fipple. Most rim-blown flutes are "oblique" flutes, being...
replicated today from findings at a massive cave in Prayer Rock Valley in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, USA by an archaeological expedition led by Earl H. Morris in 1931
. The team excavated 15 caves and the largest amongst these had 16 dwellings and many artifacts including several wooden flutes, which gave the site its name, the Broken Flute Cave.
The flutes found in the cave was dated between 620 and 670 AD. They were all made of Box Elder
Acer negundo
Acer negundo is a species of maple native to North America. Box Elder, Boxelder Maple, and Maple Ash are its most common names in the United States...
, have 6 finger holes and are end-blown. It is similar in many respects to a Hopi flute, which has only five finger holes.
A detailed analysis using radiocarbon dating techniques was published in 2007. The analysis included one item from a burial pit in the Broken Flute Cave. The dating placed the artifact in the range 599-769 CE.
The Anasazi flute has in recent years been reproduced and restored to the catalog of World flutes. While difficult to play in many respects, it has a rich, warm voice that spans a little over one and a half octaves.