Pigeon flute; gourd with 4 bamboo pipes and black ink; bamboo tongue for tail ring; 21.5 cm. According to some writers, flutes were attached to message-carrying pigeons to frighten away hawks and eventually came to be used by pigeon fanciers to lure away another fancier’s pigeon or flock in order to increase their wealth and status. According to Berthold Laufer, the flutes were used for the aesthetic value of their music. Makers in this collection include: HUNG, CHUNG, KUEI, MING, PAN, SHIH-TZU (?), SHENG, LI.
Donor:
Estate of James Pomeroy Howe
Collection place:
Beijing, Beijing municipality, Northern China
Object type:
ethnography
Object class:
Pigeon flutes
Function:
5.6 Sports, Games, Amusements; Gambling and Pet Accessories
Accession date:
1970
Department:
Asia (except western Russia)
Loans:
S1986-1987 #9: Howe Homestead (City of Walnut Creek) (October 13, 1986–June 9, 1988), S1988-1989 #11: Howe Homestead (City of Walnut Creek) (October 4, 1988–January 8, 1991), and S2003-2004 #3: Howe Homestead (City of Walnut Creek) (October 24, 2003–October 26, 2003)