Joseph, Oregon
Northwest Plateau / Nez Perce (‘Nimiipuu’ People)

Wood, glass beads, hide
Early 20th century
Length: 13 in
Aerophone – Wind Instrument Proper – Edge-blown Flutes

A plateau beaded Nimi’ipuu (Nez Perce whistle/flute) with provenance as Chief White Eagle’s wife flute from Joseph, Oregon.  This wooden end-blown whistle (flute) is made with glass bead designs and deer skin leather ties.  It is most likely a presentation whistle (flute), as there are no fingerholes.  To play you blow through the top end into the pipe that has a plug (block or fipple) inside, that forms a duct or windway that directs the air alternately above and below the sharp edge of a lateral hole.  
Today the Nez Perce, self-name ‘Nimiipuu’ people reside on the present-day Nez Perce Reservation in north-central Idaho and are a federally recognized tribal nation with more than 3,500 citizens. Originally, they occupied an area that included parts of present-day Idaho, Oregon, and Washington that centered on the lower Snake River and tributaries such the Salmon and Clearwater Rivers.

The Nez Percé were the most powerful and best-known of the Sahaptin-speaking peoples. They call themselves the Nimi’ipuu, but the French called them the Nez Percé (“Pierced Nose”), having mistakenly identified individuals they saw wearing nose pendants as members of the Nimi’ipuu, though the Nimi’ipuu do not pierce their noses.

Resource: Nez Perce | History, Facts, Traditions, & Chief Joseph | Britannica