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After taking several photos of Horseshoe Bend near Page, AZ, I was ready for a craft beer. Consulting Google Maps I found that Grand Canyon Brewery had a restaurant nearby. I settled into a seat at the bar and started watching the US-Canada hockey game from the Four Nations Tournament.

Marcus, the bartender, introduced himself and started sharing the wonders of their different beers. I made my order and sat back in my introverted bubble. But the place wasn’t busy, so Marcus kept asking me a bunch of questions to get a conversation going.

He asked me where I was from and what I was doing in Page, AZ. I laughed and shared “Probably what everyone else who is visiting is doing. I want to see Antelope Canyon.”

“Oh wow. The Upper and Lower Canyons are my favorite places. I particularly like Lower Antelope Canyon. You will love the Navajo guides. They are so knowledgeable and entertaining. I hope you get the guide I had recently. He told this great story about a young Navajo man courting eligible young women.”

“Evidently, it is a Navajo tradition for the young males to carve a flute and then learn to play it. As they get accomplished with the flute they compose and perfect a tune that is uniquely theirs. Then when they find the right young lady, they play their unique tune on the flute. If the young lady responds, the young man gives her the flute. If she accepts the flute, that is a sign of their engagement. If she does not want to accept the marriage proposal, she breaks the flute over her knee and hands the pieces back to the young man.”

Marcus’s guide shared that “he had recently found the woman of his dreams and had practiced and practiced his unique tune. When the appropriate time came, he played his tune so beautifully for his chosen woman. He then handed her his flute. Without hesitation, she broke the flute over her knee and handed the pieces back to the young man. He was heartbroken.”

“But the young woman couldn’t just walk away after the rejection. She shared ‘you played your flute so beautifully and your tune was a heavenly composition. You must have practiced a long time.”

“The guide shared ‘that was my fifth flute.'”

We both had a good laugh.

A little dinner and a few beers later, I left the brewery to return to my hotel.

The next morning I awoke to a beautiful Arizona day and headed out to my scheduled tour at Lower Antelope Canyon. Soon I was assigned a guide and our group of 10 visitors set off for the beginning of the hike. Our guide had a backpack on and I could see a large flute poking out of the pack.

We descended into the hidden canyon and I was awestruck by the colors and shapes and patterns of Antelope Canyon. With every step I had to take another photo.

When we got about halfway through Lower Antelope Canyon in a larger hollowed out section, our guide stopped and pulled out his flute, shared about the tradition of the courting flute, and played a wonderful haunting melody for us.

Our guide was more serious about the sacred tradition than the bartender last night. Having heard both stories, I thought I learned more about this wonderful tradition.

With a little searching on the Internet, I learned a bit more about the Navajo courting flute:

“The ‘courting flute’ in Navajo and other Native American cultures, also known as a love flute or courtship flute, is a tradition where a young man uses a flute to express his affection for a woman, often serenading her under the stars. While stories can vary, they often involve the flute being seen as a gift from the spirit world or a tool that can help a man connect with his chosen one. The humor in this story likely comes from the contrast between the seriousness of the courting tradition and the number of flutes, suggesting the man may be a bit of a romantic or a bit desperate, or maybe just has a strong affinity for flute making. 

“The ‘this is my fifth flute’ part adds a humorous layer. It implies the man has tried a few times to express his affection through flutes, suggesting he might be a little too eager or even a bit clumsy in his approach. It also hints at a potential love story or a playful teasing between the man and the woman he is trying to court.”

While I expected to be amazed at the beauty of Antelope Canyon, I was delighted to experience the beauty of the Navajo Guides so keen to help us non-natives understand the traditions of their culture.

I do so love the diversity of America.

Peace.