To become the world's premier Native American Flutist, R. Carlos Nakai relied on research and innovation. His heritage is Navajo-Ute. His people migrated from the Northwest Plains of Canada to the Southwest over five centuries ago. While Nakai may not have been born to the flute, it was curiosity about his heritage that led him to it.
To have a thorough knowledge of the instrument, Nakai crafted his own.
He later learned from a flute-making teacher that rather than the oak Nakai was using, cedar is the only wood that works well. Nakai views each flute as a piece of art that also creates sound.
A native Arizonan, Nakai's southwestern surroundings
as well as his culture, heavily influence his work. He points out that, "A lot of what I've been taught culturally, comes from an awareness of the environment. How I feel is based on my impressions of being in certain places."
GHOST MOUNTAIN
CHIEF MOUNTAIN
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed!
