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Bamboo flute
Sepik Area
20th century
Object Place: Papua New Guinea
Medium/Technique
bamboo
Dimensions
Overall: 49 x 6 cm (19 5/16 x 2 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession Number2009.2642
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsContemporary Art, Africa and Oceania, Musical Instruments
ClassificationsMusical instruments
Nose 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)