Image: Hawk Littlejohn Native American Flute vintage 1996

Description: profile of "Bird of Prey Flute. This twenty-six inches (26") wooden flute is a "Woodlands Style" Native American flute hand-carved in 1996 by Hawk Littlejohn (12 June 1941 - 14 December 2000). According to Wikipedia, Hawk Littlejohn, who was of Cherokee decent, “… is considered to be one of America’s greatest contemporary Native American flute makers.” The body of this flute contains six, burned-in tuning holes; four burned-in "Direction Holes;" four inlaid ebony/turquoise circles aligned with the "Four Directions" holes; an intricately carved "Bird of Prey" head located at the “Bottom End” of the flute, and an intricately carved Rattlesnake Head Totem secured with a leather strap just above the sound hole. The flute is further embellished with two decorative woodland leather wraps presenting a mountain-pattern of sharp peaks and valleys. Both the "Bird of Prey" and "Rattlesnake" motifs represent predatory animals. It is of interest to note that certain "birds of prey" kill and devour rattlesnakes.
Title: Hawk Littlejohn Native American Flute vintage 1996
Credit: William Waterway - Private Collection
Author: Williamwaterway
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
License: CC BY-SA 3.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
Attribution Required?: Yes