The eagle bone whistle, a sacred religious musical instrument used by Native Americans, is made from the long wing bones of both the American bald eagle, and the American golden eagle for Native American religious ceremonies. Eagle bone whistles are considered extremely powerful spiritual objects by American Indians.
Eagle bone whistles produce a series of high pitched notes which are reminiscent of the cry of an eagle. By varying the airflow and pressure, a wide variety of notes can be produced. These whistles are only used in ceremonies to call the spirits. Eagle bone whistles are often worn with red mescal bean necklaces during peyote ceremonies. They are also carried in buffalo hide pouches specifically made for this purpose.
Read more about Eagle Bone Whistle: Usage, Construction
Famous quotes containing the words eagle, bone and/or whistle:
“A lover’s eyes will gaze an eagle blind.
A lover’s ear will hear the lowest sound.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“Sang a bone upon the shore;
“A child found all a child can lack,
Whether of pleasure or of rest,
Upon the abundance of my breast”:
A bone wave-whitened and dried in the wind.
”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
“O he did whistle and she did sing,
And all the bells on earth did ring
For joy our Saviour Christ was born
On Christmas Day in the morning.”
—Unknown. As I Sat on a Sunny Bank. . .
Oxford Book of Light Verse, The. W. H. Auden, ed. (1938)