Winsome, native sounds

Teddye Snell

Winsome, almost haunting melodies, performed by members of the Tahlequah Native American Flute Circle, floated into the corridors of Tahlequah Public Library Thursday during the noon hour.

The event kicked off Tahlequah Friends of the Library’s centennial year celebration of Program Sandwiched In, and the group played to a capacity crowd of music and literature enthusiasts.

TANFC members Roland and Eileen Mischke spearheaded the effort at the library. They have many acquaintances who are Friends of the Library, and hoped the demonstration would generate interest in the group.

Members not only performed Native American songs, but explained some of the history behind the making and tuning of the flutes, as well as some of the cultural aspects.

Roland explained why Native American flutes sound so eerie by demonstrating the tuning on the library’s piano.

Most instruments are tuned to what’s commonly known as “Middle C” on the piano. But not Native American flutes.

“These are all tuned to the black keys on the piano,” said Roland, running through the scale for the flute. “You hear the difference? The Native American flute was used as a courting instrument, as it gets to the heart of people.”

Joyce Barnes, also a member of TANFC, holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music composition and is a local professional flute maker and performer. She studied and documented Native American flute collections at both the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and Gilcrease Museum.

“I use a chart for tuning when making flutes,” said Barnes. “I’ve tuned flutes to the dimensions of my hand before, and you can get some pretty weird tones. But Native American flutes make weird tones, which is why explorers like DeSoto and Bertram hated the sounds; however, to Native Americans, the tones sounded great, because it’s what they were brought up with.”

The flute circle was formed two years ago by Joyce Barnes and Mickel Yantz to create a group in which those interested in the Native American Flute could meet to perform, discuss, and make new friends.

“In the past two years, we have grown from two people to an average of 25-30 at each meeting, with several tables of flutes on display,” said Barnes. “Our group is made up of performers, educators, flute-makers, novices, and anyone who just likes to listen to flute music. We have hosted guests from Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, France, and New Zealand.”

Barnes is the wife of Mickel Yantz, curator at the Cherokee Heritage Center and another member of TANFC. The Heritage Center is home to the monthly meetings of TANFC, and both Barnes and Yantz encourage those interested to visit.

“We welcome and encourage all ages whether they own a flute or not,” said Barnes. “Our goal is educate and showcase our members, as well as, educating the public about the Native American Flute and it’s historical and contemporary significance.”

The Tahlequah Native American Flute Circle is a volunteer-based program of the Heritage Center and fosters a platform for flute enthusiasts, makers and performers in and around the community to express their interests through discussion, performance and instruction,” said Yantz. “Some of the goals are to bring awareness to the community about Native American flutes; share information to promote the education and appreciation of flutes; support cultural awareness; and be an outlet for anyone interested in learning more.”

The group meets 7-9 p.m. the third Friday of every month at the Heritage Center. The program is free, and snacks are potluck. The next circle is Jan. 19.



Learn more

To find out more about the Tahlequah Native American Flute Circle, visit www. CherokeeHeritage.org, www.freewebs.com/tnafc, e-mail tnafcmail@yahoo.com, or call Mickel Yantz at (918) 456-6007.

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