THE ORIGINAL LOVE FLUTE

David became very well known for his unique sounding, OVAL SHAPED Iroquoian Love Flutes he made out of cedar. He was the First Mohawk Artist to ever create such a flute in his workshop located on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.

Here is "David R. Maracle's story" in his own words...

"Who would’ve thought a trip to Oklahoma would have changed my life forever as an Indigenous flute player. I remember entering the grounds of the prestigious Red Earth Festival in Oklahoma City, and all I could hear was the sounds of the Native American flutes; the haunting melodies of the flutes, and what it meant to those amazing flute players did not take long to trickle into my being...., I walked up to one of the many flute players with their professional sound systems that they used to amplify these ancient sounds, and humbly asked if I could try playing into the mic. They had it set up with some pretty cool effects that made me excited to want to play. They were very interested to hear the sound of this unusual looking flute I had made, and agreed to allow me to play a song on my very first flute i ever hand crafted myself !!! I was equally excited to hear what the melody would be like coming through a professional sound system. The haunting melody rang and many gathered quickly to see me play....one of the onlookers happened to be a local News channel that was there broadcasting the event. At that point, I had only been practicing the flute for a brief time… Once I finished the song, the News Journalists approached me, gave me some beautiful compliments and asked how long I had been playing flute for. I replied "just a short time" while smiling from ear to ear he also commented on the style of the flute I was playing and asked where they came from. I was incredibly proud to say it was my first Iroquoian Love FLUTE creation !!!! That was the most exciting moment in the beginning of my musical career. The whole purpose of this particular trip was to compete in the fine art show with my stone carvings, in which I received the prestigious "best of show" award for my Original in Stone Sculpture featuring the history of my ancestral heritage. This was also a life changer. .......................

"I returned home to Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory feeling blessed and excited!!!! I knew right then my life would be changed forever… I was given two tickets to the Molson Amphitheater in Toronto to see the famous Jennifer Batton and Jeff Beck .... Wanting to share a ticket with somebody, I decided my brother would be a good choice, as he was a big fan of Jeff Beck. After the concert, we were invited backstage to meet the artist and lucky for me I had brought my flute and drum with me . I will never forget that night when Jeff Beck asked me to play a song for him, Jennifer and their fans. Who would’ve ever thought that!!!! To top off the evening, Jeff Beck signed my drum and Jennifer Batten, Michael Jackson’s Guitar Player signed my flute; the very first flute I had made. My Iroquoian Love flutes have since been sold all over the world and has created a sustainable living for my family and I .... It became increasingly difficult to continue the pace of building flutes and also working on my stone carvings as this took a lot of energy to do both."

"My brother Jonathan who had been purchasing my flutes for re-sale, asked me if I would train him and his friend to make these beautiful one-of-a-kind flutes so that it would free me up to do more of my stone art. That way, we would have an endless supply of my Original Creation hand-crafted flutes !!!! The original "David R. MARACLE Iroquoian Love Flute" lives on and many thanks to the fans for your support!!!! The original flute is on display in my home, signed by Jennifer Batton to this day." David musical career exploded, and he used these Iroquoian Love flutes in countless concert performances, his multi award winning RIAA Gold Albums, various musical compilations, and in performances all around the world."

THE LEGEND OF THE IROQUOIAN LOVE FLUTE

"In the beginning, when earth was first created, she was in her most purest of state. Everything in and out of this world was put there for a reason; grandmother moon, our eldest brother the sun, our young brothers and sisters the stars, the oceans, rivers, lakes and streams, the plant life, both big and small, trees, roots, medicine and fruit for all; the winds, rain, thunder and lightning, the animals, fish, birds, insects and man; all there to survive and live in harmony together. Even with all this natural beauty, the sounds were not enough for Creator. One night, a restless Mohawk boy, twisting and turning, in and out of sleep, could feel something tugging at his spirit. The boy awoke and prepared to set out on a journey. Little did he know that his life would be changed forever more. He had very keen senses, which enabled him to hear, see and smell a great storm approaching. He ran to take cover beneath a giant cedar tree, when all of a sudden, Creator sent a large bolt of lightning down from the Heavens, striking the cedar tree and causing it to split down the middle. Beside the tree sat a big rock that was also struck by lightning, causing it to shatter. Pieces of the red hot stone flew like fireflies and landed in perfect line formation on a small hollowed branch that had been broken off the cedar tree. The storm ended as fast as it had started. The boy knew that his life had been spared, and that he was to respect the natural elements and never be afraid. Our Mohawk- kanien'keha word was given to the Kanien’kehake Peoples, and that was “Kanenhstaton” and its meaning is the “protected place or peoples”. The boy looked down and lying at his feet was a small branch of hollowed cedar with holes in it. He reached down and gently picked up the most unusual object; it was beautiful, red and beige in colour, with a fragrance that came from it which left him speechless. Catching the boy by surprise, the Creator had sent a severe wind storm causing things to blow about him where he stood. Holding tight, the boy would not let go of the unusual piece of wood. Again the boy had been surprised, as the wind blew through the piece of wood, making the most beautiful sounds. He knew then that he had been given a very powerful gift from Creator. He began to blow his breath into the wood and it began to make beautiful haunting sounds, and music, just like the birds do. It didn’t take long for the news to spread in his community of this heavenly sound. The People would gather and listen as the sound seemed to allow their spirits to travel, opening their third eye. After seeing the powers that one possessed by having one of these beautiful instruments, it started showing up in the hands of many young warriors. They could play to the animals, and watch as the most ferocious beast of the land and sky would fall into a trance, and even eat out of the hands of these warriors. Some of these warriors would play for the young women, leading them into a trance, into believing that they were in love with the one who played such an instrument. As time went on, leaders and elders from many Nations would witness the effects it had, as heart after heart was broken. The beautiful music would stop, from that same breath, and words would develop and the spell of the love flute would be broken. It did not take long until a law was passed, that no love flutes were to be played until the one playing it shared more about his life first, to show his intentions and his true nature were pure."

created by David R. Maracle - Tehanenia'kwe:tarons