California Peppertree Branch Flute in F#
sound sample of this flute
  
 The
bark
has
been left on
this unsplit, 6 holed California Peppertree (Schinus
molle)
branch
flute, accurately tuned and sweetly voiced to an F#
minor pentatonic
scale, playing three upper octave notes.
Measuring 22 3/4" in length, with four
direction holes, all
knots have been inlaid with crushed turquoise. Elk
lacing
with
turquoise and brass beads holds the bird to
the
nest. The bird has been fitted with a redwood
shoe, for it's
absorption qualities, and a drain hole designed into the
air chamber to
aid against wetout.
Shamanic use
of Peppertree: Brought to Mexico by the
Spaniards from
South America hundreds of years ago, Peppertree now grows abundantly in the wild there, where it is known by the name of "pirul", also naturalizing throughout the American Southwest. It has become an important part of Mexican traditional medicine, as its branches are used to "sweep" a person's body and thus "cast away all bad luck" and the "evil eye". This ceremony, called "una barrida con pirul" is common practice in many rural communities in Mexico today.
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