The Legend of the Courting Flute

The flute came to the People by way of a young man who had nothing. He fell in love with a girl whose father was a leader, a man among men. As the young man had nothing, he could offer the girl and her family nothing, meaning he could not even speak to her. He ran up a hill, sat beneath a tree, and began crying. The wind felt sorry for the young man, and began to gently blow around him, so as to dry his tears. A woodpecker began pecking at a tree branch above the young man's head. Although it was irritating, the young man did his best to ignore the woodpecker. Soon, the wind began to blow through the holes pecked in the tree branch. The branch fell from the tree, and the young man recognized the gift that he had been given. As the young man walked down the hill, a bull elk challenged him with a bugling cry. The elk sang his love song to the cows when he realized that the young man posed no threat., and the young man learned to play this song on his flute. That night, he sat down behind the lodge of the girl he loved, and played the song given to him by the bull elk.  For 4 nights, he did this, and he knew that the young woman he desired was listening, as no one came out of the lodge to chase him away. On the fifth day, he followed the young woman to the stream where she went to get water each morning. He hid in the bushes, and played his song. When she turned, he stood, showing himself for the first time. He told her, "I know I am not much to see, and I have nothing to offer you but myself. I will protect you and provide for you if you will have me. If you can look at my eyes and tell me that you are not in love with the song that my heart makes for you, then I will leave you and say no more". Of course, the young woman was indeed taken by his song, as songs are very powerful when they are sung correctly. And the young couple became the first to come together because of the flute. And the young man, he came to be known as 'Tayazo hoksine" or "Flute Boy".