Pottery Whistle
Not on view
The production of anthropomorphic and zoomorphic ceramic figures in Central and South America originated about 6,500 years ago in the Andes region of Colombia, then spread along the west coast, from Ecuador to northern Chile and Argentina, and finally farther north into Central America.
Although numerous types of instruments survive from pre-conquest South and Central America, little is known of how they were used. Whistles were often made in animal or human form and probably had ceremonial functions or served as playthings. Smaller whistles in animal shapes, perhaps worn suspended from the neck, frequently have fingerholes that allow variation of pitch. Sometimes, the sound it creates mimics the creature represented.
Description: Spheroidal reddish brown clay object with flattened mouthpiece colored dark red (post-fire painting), and incised projection at base; one fingerhole; pierced lobe behind mouthpiece; stylized bird and serpent designs in relief on surface.
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