My journey through the world of the native American flute has officially begun. I was fortunate to get in touch with a flute-player and maker in Worcester, called Strong Eagle, of the Nipmuck nation. He gave me a brief introduction to the flute, its origins, mechanisms, and variety. So far the only knowledge I had had come from articles on the internet and music recordings, which only spurred my interest to learn and experience more. The best way, I figured, is through meeting native musicians and craftsmen, because they teach you how to approach the flute and be aware of its strong bonds to native American cultural traditions and beliefs.

Among the various Indian nations, the flute had different roles - it was played in sacred ceremonies, only by men, or it was used for courting women. The second application is the most widely known one, especially among the nations of the Great Plains, the Eastern Woodlands, and the Southwest. A famous Sioux legend tells the story of a young lad, who was in love with a girl, but had nothing to offer her family, so he wasn't allow even to speak to her. He was crying under a tree, when a woodpecker started pecking at a tree branch, until it fell on the ground, and the wind blew through the holes. The man took his gift, then heard the love cry of a bull elk, and knew that would be the song for his beloved, captivating her heart. He sat beside her lodge and played his flute four nights in a row, until they met at the river, and came together as a couple, because of the flute.

At my first meeting with Strong Eagle, he showed me the flutes he had hand-crafted and played them for me. Each one was a beautiful work of art and had its own characteristic sound - some mellow, some sharper, some high-pitched, others low-pitched. Unlike the classical western instruments, the native flute has so much character and individuality, even some magic wrapped around it. There's a great variety in the flute family, concerning material (cedar, redwood, cane, cherry, walnut, eagle bone), size, shape, decoration, and tuning. In the early days flute-makers used natural measurements for the construction of the flute - the flute body was the length of a forearm, and the space between the holes was the length of half a thumb. I tried to play a couple of Strong Eagle's flutes, but could hardly make a sound, which was a little discouraging, but I knew it all would come with practice. I chose a flute in F# minor (the most common tuning), made out of cedar, with a carved eagle head, serving as the block. After one picks a flute, their task is to breathe life and character in it, and play melodies that come from the heart. Being classically trained in voice and piano, I expected to be given straightforward directions about fingerings, exercises, Do-s and Don't-s. Instead, Strong Eagle encouraged me to find my own path to playing and mastering the flute, and to play it mostly outside, listening to the wind, the birds, the water. So after spending hours playing on my own in the practice rooms in Estabrook Hall, a friend of mine took me to Rutland State Park, a very beautiful place near Worcester, with many trails, thick forests, and a large pond. It felt so much better playing there than when you're stuck between four walls. Still, I know that I'm getting only a part of the experience, and there's a lot more to learn, not so much by straining my fingers for hours, but by learning to listen and achieve a state of harmony between myself, the flute, and the rhythms and songs of nature.