Artist Details
| Artist Name | John R. Colhoff |
|---|---|
| Born | 1880 in Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota |
| Died | 1954 in Pine Ridge, South Dakota |
Artist Biography
In Lakota culture, a courting flute was an instrument created by a warrior to play love songs to court a young maiden. After marriage, the husband would play the flute for his wife.
John R. Colhoff was the son of George Colhoff, a white man who served in the Civil War, and of Mary Shields, a Lakota woman who resided on the Pine Ridge Reservation. In the early 20th century, John Colhoff was the official interpreter for the Pine Ridge Agency and most notably, he interpreted for the renowned Nebraska writer, Mari Sandoz. In the early 1930s, Sandoz spent time at Pine Ridge to gather information for her novel, Crazy Horse. It was there that she made the acquaintance of Colhoff and he interpreted for Sandoz in 1930 and 1931. Colhoff carved and painted this flute in the shape of a crane, a bird found in Sioux lore.
