A:  That's a good question. There are no written seventeenth century references to the use of flutes by the Wampanoag or their neighbors. Roger Williams (1643) states that they had no drums or trumpets (with which to use to make an alarm) but that Williams did know them to buy and use a Dutch trumpet and known a Native to make a good drum in imitation of the English (Williams 1643: 107). None of the other period English sources (Gookin, Church, Rowlandson) make reference to any Natives using flutes as well. The Natick Dictionary, the compilation of Wampanoag words put together by Trumbull for the Smithsonian in the early 20^th century, also does not contain a word for flute or whistle. It may be that the Wampanoag did have flutes but their presence was not noted by the English, but it is always hard to prove a negative.

William Ritchie's work among the archaeological remains of the Iroquois, found possible bird bone flutes or whistles at the Lamoka Lake and Scottsville sites in New York State dating from between 3500-1300 BC (Ritchie 1965: 69). They were made from the win bone sof large birds (chiefly turkey) with single oval or multiple round perforations or of plain long tubes that could be blown as whistles. Other flutes have been found associated with the Frontenac phase (2500-2000 BC) in New York State (Ritchie 1965: 116).

References

Roger Williams

A Key into the Language of America

William Ritchie

1965 The Archaeology of New York State