Bamboo flute
Artist Unidentified, Pacific Islander
20th century
Object PlacePapua New Guinea
Medium/Techniquebamboo
DimensionsOverall: 49 x 6 cm (19 5/16 x 2 3/8 in.)
Credit LineGift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession number2009.2642
On View
Not on viewClassificationsMusical instruments
DescriptionNose flutes are commonly used throughout Oceania. To play the instrument, performers hold the flute up to one nostril with one hand, and hold shut the other with a free finger. To produce a sound, players would blow through a small hole near the top of the flute. Flutes were typically used in casual settings and were not associated with ceremonial music-making. The design pattern on this flute, created by pyroengraving, is reminiscent of Sepik shield motifs.
ProvenanceGeneviève McMillan (b. 1922 - d. 2008), Cambridge, MA; 2008, to the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation, Cambridge; 2009, gift of the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 17, 2009)
Artist Unidentified, Pacific Islander
