Sound, Story, and Survival: A Maker’s Perspective on the Native American Flute
by Charlie Mato-Toyela I have been making and playing what are now commonly called Native American flutes since I was fifteen years old. At that time, I spent a great deal of my life with friends and distant relatives traveling the powwow circuit and observing what other Native people were doing musically and artistically. Much of that time was spent in the southeastern United States, though my experiences also include travel and extended stays with Cherokee and Choctaw famil
