Florida, Big Cypress Seminole Reservation
Seminole

PVC, glass beads
Mid 20th c.
Length: 12.5 in
Aerophone – Wind Instrument Proper – Edge-blown Flutes

This Seminole beaded whistle was collected at the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation in the 1970s.  It can be blown through the (duct) pipe, at each end, creating two different pitches.

Beadwork provides a rich expressive medium in which color, contrast, and design permit a limitless number of distinct patterns and compositions. Design elements for this Seminole whistle (flute) include both realistic and abstract representations of natural phenomena.