This Peruvian hardwood remains one of my favorite tone woods. It is 20-9/16” inches in length, with a 7/8”a bore diameter. Woods used in forming the mouthpiece include old growth redwood burl, between layers of amboyna burl, and capped with the HN. Additional woods include twice dyed/stabilized 11mm disks of box elder burl to each side of the compression chamber as well as 19mm disks of old growth redwood. The fetish block is cut from the HN bonded to a base of Oklahoma cedar for moisture control, with wing overlay of abalone, yew, and mappa burl.

Inlay, starting at the mouthpiece includes an 11x9mm dome cut labradorite oval, flanked by 4mm turquoise dots, while the compression chamber includes a little pyrographics backfilled with Sleeping Beauty mine turquoise. I’ve placed a small 4mm Sleeping Beauty mine turquoise dot forward from the fetish, and the sound chamber includes an 18x25mm Mexican crazy lace oval agate. The finger holes are accented with four 5mm abalone dots as well as a 6mm dome cut hematite cab. Lastly, the fetish block has a 6mm dome cut African almandine garnet set to the crown, and 2.8mm hematite beads set as eyes.

I included a glueless wrap of rawhide, just to see if I could do it. This is permanent and does not slide off the instrument. Please note further, the tuning hole takes the key from F#m to Gm. It is cut in a snake or serpent motif, which is very powerful medicine among woodland Native American tribes. The owner is advised NOT to attend NA events with this instrument.

The flute was tuned at a wood temp. of 77.3°F, an ambient temp. of 72.6°F, with a humidity factor of 64%, at sea level.