Premiered on PBS
on October 7, 2004
Check your local listings
for rebroadcasts.

Hovia Edwards

Hovia Edwards is a young Native American flute player from Fort Hall, Idaho. She is a member of the Shoshone-Bannock tribe and lives on the Fort Hall Reservation. Hovia's mother Nanci Nakki is of Shoshone-Bannock heritage, and her father Herman Edwards, is a member of the Okanagan tribe in British Columbia. "Hovia" is the Shoshone word for song.

When Hovia was three years old, she started learning how to play the Native American flute from her father, a flute player and flute maker. Later, she spent time studying with the award-winning Native American flute player Robert "Tree" Cody who she continues to play with today.

"She's a child of great traditional knowledge," says Druscilla Gould, a family friend and professor of Shoshone language and culture at Idaho State University. "It takes that type of knowledge to be able to relate to the flute, which is a living thing to our people," Gould said.

Hovia Edwards plays both traditional songs and her own compositions. When she was 14, she made her first professional recording for Canyon Records. The recording, titled "Morning Star" (the name her great grandmother called her), was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Hovia played at the opening ceremonies for the 2002 Olympics in Utah and on the soundtrack for "Skinwalkers," a PBS Masterpiece Theater film. She recently recorded "Reflections," a Canyon Records release with Robert Tree Cody.

In addition to recording and performing, Hovia also gives talks to school and community groups about the history of the Native American flute.

Native American Plains Flute

The Plains flute was traditionally used as a courting instrument played only by young Native American men. Though women were generally not allowed to touch the flute, they sometimes played it at home or on rare occasions at powwows.

Along with shakers, drums and voice, the Native American flute is one of the few traditional Native American instruments. It is traditionally played alone and learned by listening to other players.

"There's no really true way of writing songs for Native American flute music. A lot of people ask if you can put Native American flute music on paper and a lot of people have tried but it hasn't really succeeded because Native American flute isn't on a scale like many other instruments are. So you just have to basically go with how you feel inside. It's more like bringing out your emotions in your music," says flute player Hovia Edwards

At the turn of the 20th century, Native Americans were often forced to assimilate into mainstream America. During this time, much traditional cultural was lost, which threatened the survival of the flute traditions. "Basically, there was a lull in the popularity of the flute for a long, long time. The art was almost lost," says Robert "Tree" Cody.

Beginning in the late 1960s, there was a revival of Native American flute making and playing. Players who were instrumental in this flute renaissance are Doc "Tate" Nevaquaya, Kevin Locke, R. Carlos Nakai, Robert "Tree" Cody, and Douglas Spotted Eagle.

Herman Edwards

Hovia's father Herman Edwards is a member of Okanagan Tribe, Lower Similkameen Band of British Columbia, Canada. Herman has been playing the Native American flute since he was five years old, though he only began performing publicly in 1980. Herman has a CD on Canyon Records that includes a track dedicated to his daughter called "Hovia, My Little Song." Herman is also an accomplished flute maker. Herman says "my music is the story of my life."

Robert "Tree" Cody

Robert "Tree" Cody is an award-winning Native American flutist, dancer, artist, and educator. and actor that has performed throughout the United States and abroad. He was born in Los Angeles and is of Dakota-Maricopa heritage. His traditional name is Oou Kas Mah Qwet ("Thunder Bear"). Six feet 10 inches, "Tree" is also very active on the powwow circuit as a northern traditional dancer and sometimes arena director or master of ceremonies. He has recorded twelve albums on the Canyon Records label: His newest is "Reflections," a collaboration with Hovia Edwards.