Ohio
Northeast / Iroquois (subgroup)

Bone
19th century
Length:  6.25 in
Aerophone – Wind Instrument Proper – Edge-blown Flutes

When the Europeans began arriving in Ohio, they found 2 distinct cultures:  the Iroquois and Algonquians.  This end-blown bone flute with three drilled finger holes, was collected in the area of Polk, Ohio, a small village in the region south of Lake Erie, where many related Iroquois tribal groups lived.  Almost all the native tribal groups with various names living in Ohio were related to the Iroquois and Algonquians. 

According to Ohio’s Native American Heritage (touringohio.com):

‘It was not uncommon for many tribal groups to have various names. First there was the name they called themselves. Then there was a name their allies called them, and then the name their enemies used. Tribal names were then translated by traders into their own language, which was further translated either phonetically or by what the word meant. This leads to a variety of names. There has been some effort to standardize these historical names, but because American settlers coming to Ohio often used Native American names for their geographic area, those names have become the norm.’

Early bone flutes are evidence of how deliberately made musical instruments were most likely used to help people communicate and form tighter social bonds. 

Reference:  Ohio’s Native American Heritage (touringohio.com)