| "As
I turn my ear to the music I can only imagine my
great-grandfathers, but their old songs are
still here and the new are part of me."- Bryan
Akipa
Bryan Akipa,
a member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota Nation,
is a self-taught flute maker, flute player and
traditional woodcarver.
As a young man
he attended the Institute of American Indian
Arts and studied fine arts with Oscar Howe at
the University of South Dakota at Vermillion.
After graduation Bryan became an elementary
school teacher for seven years. Since 1991 he
has committed himself to his chosen art and
craft, the cedar flute.
In addition
to being a premier Native American flute player,
Bryan is internationally known for his
craftsmanship of traditional flutes. While he
says that his knowledge of the flute is
primarily self-taught, he also acknowledges
"the elders, relatives and friends"
that took the time to teach him about the flute.
When one hears the depth and the age in the
sound of his instruments, the importance of this
tradition becomes quite apparent. Bryan feels
the experience of making his own flutes and
learning the old songs has been nothing but a
"good blessing." His music, however,
is made up of the old and the new, and he takes
great pride in skillfully blending the
traditional and contemporary.
According to
Akipa, "The flute can be very relaxing and
soothing. In old times it was the music for
lovers. The essence of wind, the melody of a red
cedar flute, where it comes from and where it
goes is a mystery. So is everyone born of the
spirit of love."
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