While gluing two halves of a cedar flute together, flute maker Richard Maynard makes sure that the pieces are properly lined up prior to clamping.

Photos by A.E. Araiza / arizona daily star

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Hardly anyone, by now, has not heard the haunting, soothing sounds of the Native American flute.

Hugely popularized in the 1980s by artists such as R. Carlos Nakai, the flute goes back to prehistoric times, showing up in rock art as early as A.D. 500.

It's also one of the easiest instruments to play, says Ed Pendrys, 73, a founding member of the Native American Flute Circle.

"I got interested about four years ago," says Pendrys, who's retired from IBM. "I bought a book and an instructional manual."

Now he teaches flute to Sun City residents for five weeks, two hours a week. "At the end of that five weeks, they are playing basic songs," he says.

Three years ago, Pendrys and others formed the Native American Flute Circle. Today, the group numbers about 35. Half are men, half are women, ages 30- to 70-something. Occupations range from mining engineer to nurse.

Only one in the group, noted Tucson musician Vince Redhouse, is an American Indian. For this is a gathering based not on nationality but on the flute itself, which all celebrate.

"There's such a beauty inside," says Pendrys. "We respect the instrument and recognize how the rituals and ceremonials influenced Native Americans. If anything, we want to pass that along for people to understand."

No one knows that better than Richard Maynard, 55, another founding member of the flute circle.

For almost a decade, he's been working full time making Native American flutes, which are constructed with two air chambers, giving the flute its distinctive sound. The flutes are also tuned in various concert keys, with F-sharp minor the most popular key.

Working from a backyard shop in Tucson, Maynard hand-selects each piece of wood — often cedar — then cuts, shapes, tunes and finishes each flute.

Through his Web site, www.cedarflutes.com, he sells the flutes — ranging in price from $20 to $1,200 — around the world under the name Laughing Crow.

But this blue-eyed, blond-haired former Texan is careful to point out that his flutes are not made by an American Indian but are instead "made in the spirit of and respect for Native music."

Only rarely does it become an issue, says Maynard, who also sells his flutes — and CDs — at juried craft fairs in Tucson and in Taos, N.M.

"One woman told me I had no business stealing from the Native Americans. But Native Americans buy my flutes. I am promoting the culture."

Sit a spell with him and Pendrys, and their love for this instrument flows sweet and clear.

"I got hooked on the sound about 1995," says Maynard. "Then I got a flute for Christmas and learned to play. This was my first musical outlet that worked. Anything you play sounds good."

Ironically, while non-Indians such as Maynard and Pendrys gravitate to the more traditional sounds, Redhouse — a Navajo who grew up in Monterey, Calif., and is classically trained in woodwinds — prefers incorporating jazz or classical sounds into his flute performances.

"I'm a Native American playing the Native American flute, but I don't play to that," says Redhouse, 53. "I break down the stereotype. People are pleasantly surprised to hear me playing 'The Road to You' by Pat Metheny or 'Clair de Lune.' "

Yet he acknowledges resentment among some Indians who feel that whites are co-opting yet another facet of their culture.

"I go to Native American flute festivals, and the one thing you see missing is Native Americans," says Redhouse. "I would say a fair number of Indians don't want to get involved in something that smacks of the white man's culture, that's become a commercial entity."

But for Indians, says Redhouse, this can become "a limitation we've placed on ourselves. I can't do that."

After Pendrys heard Redhouse in concert a couple of years ago, he invited him to join the flute circle.

"It's like a fellowship," says Redhouse. "You're not dealing with professional musicians. The ego dynamic is not there."

The circle meets once a month except in summer and has given several local performances. Members also perform for each other and give — and get — gentle critiques.

Some also play in hospice settings, such as registered nurse RuthiE Neilan, who spells her first name exactly as you're reading it and is another founding member of the flute circle.

Neilan, who is not Indian but grew up on the Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana, was introduced to the Native American flute about a dozen years ago.

"I was told it was a healing instrument and that if you pick up this instrument, it will change your life," says Neilan.

"It truly resonated — physically, spiritually and emotionally — inside my body."