Courting Whistle

ca. 1830
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
The slender elongated form of this single-note whistle terminates in the shape of an abstract, long-beaked bird, identified as either a snipe or sandhill crane. The bird’s minimalistic portrayal radiates with life. Its beak is open, as though calling to a mate, and brass-tack eyes glimmer atop the black painted face. In Plains courtship, young men often played flutes to attract the attention of women.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Courting Whistle
  • Date: ca. 1830
  • Geography: United States, Minnesota
  • Culture: Santee Dakota (Eastern Sioux)
  • Medium: Wood, birch bark, sinew, pigment, brass tacks
  • Dimensions: Length: 36 1/2 in. (92.7 cm)
  • Classification: Wood-Musical Instruments
  • Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum, New York, Henry L. Batterman Fund and the Frank Sherman Benson Fund (50.67.91)
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing