Sitting in his home in northern West Valley, Bill Hughes is quietly settling into a life surrounded by the care of his neighbors and friends. To most people, Hughes is simply a kind elder. To a select few, however, he is a critical mentor and teacher credited with preserving a valuable aspect of indigenous culture.
Hughes is a retired family therapist specializing in teaching beginners how to make Native American-style flutes. Hughes started his journey in 1998 following a surgery that left his memory impaired. “I decided it would not be ethical to keep doing family therapy, so I quit, and I was looking around for something that would be therapeutic but not require another 20 years in school,” Hughes explained. Accidentally, Hughes stumbled upon Carlos Nakai’s Canyon Trilogy album. Nakai is the world’s premier performer of the Native American flute. “You could have stuck my finger in a wall socket or
Something. It was just electricity. Just ran through me, and I knew immediately that’s what I wanted to do,” Hughes jocundly recalled.
The journey towards his flute-making expertise was far from easy. “In those days, there weren’t a whole lot of flutes. The flutes were on the verge of extinction until Carlos Nakai came along and showed everyone what they could do,” Hughes explained. After an unsuccessful search for a high-quality flute, Hughes decided to take the matter into his own hands, saying “There was a little series of paperback monographs by Luke Price, but they were all based on higher math. Well, I did worse at higher math than I did at woodworking and guitar playing, so they didn’t help me at all. I just started doing what I knew was right. I changed at least one thing on each flute to see if it was better or worse, and after throwing away about 100 flutes, I made a few keepers. I just kept on that way. After a couple of years, I was
Making flutes I thought were pretty good, and that’s how I got into flutes.”
Throughout his flute-making career, Hughes has dedicated himself to fostering creativity and self-discovery among his students. By teaching them the techniques involved in flute construction, he encourages personal growth and a deeper connection to their innermost self. “In essence, you’re reading yourself and letting that come out through the flute,” Hughes explains.
Hughes notably made the flute played by Nino Reyos in the 2002 Winter Olympics opening ceremony. Reyos was the Ute representative in the Olympics, and he noticed that many people from the other nations didn’t have flutes. Hughes recalled, “Nino said, ‘I know someone who can make some flutes,’ so I did. I made six and gave them to the Olympic Committee to pass out. That shows you what kind of shape things were in then. I mean, that’s 2002, and
a
lot of the Native flute players didn’t own flutes. That was a problem.”
Today, thanks to Bill Hughes, several Native American-style flute makers, including two in Bulgaria, are determined to preserve the traditional style. He has produced DVDs to share his craft with the world, ensuring that the art of flute-making will be alive for generations to come.
The full exclusive interview is available on the Cougar Claw website, cougarclaw.org.
