Mark Taylor’s Flutes: Connecting Audiences to Indigenous Sound and Culture

By Chevi Rabbit< Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

(ANNews) – The flute, one of the oldest instruments known to humankind, has long carried stories through generations. The Indigenous flute held particular importance in courtship, ceremony, and storytelling. Today, Cree flutist Mark Taylor continues that legacy, mastering both the craft and the music, and sharing it with audiences across Edmonton.

“I grew up in Treaty 5, just outside of Winnipeg, in a small town called Selkirk, Manitoba. I did not grow up on a reserve,” Taylor recalled. “When my father and his siblings were being taken to residential school, my grandmother – who had attended residential school herself – told them to go hide. They ran into the bush and hid. A lot of my family didn’t go back to the reserve to live. We grew up in that small town. There is reserve land around it, but we also never grew up with our culture.”

Even outside the residential school system, prejudice marked his early life. “Don’t act like an Indian. I grew up in a time where there was a lot of prejudice towards me. Back then, you’d walk down the street and they’d say, ‘Well, there’s one of them dirty Indians,’ that sort of thing.”

Taylor moved to Edmonton in 1982, seeking opportunity and a fresh start. “I met my wife here. We’ve been married for 38 years; we married in 1988. We have four children, all grown, and about a dozen grandchildren – one biological from my youngest daughter, and the rest are the children of the kids who grew up in our house on weekends. We’d gather here, feed them, let them sleep over, and give them a safe place to be. Now they bring their kids over and we’re grandma and grandpa.”

A turning point came when Taylor discovered music. “It all changed for me when I was shopping with my wife at Safeway one day. There was a CD up by the cash register by David R. Maracle, a Mohawk artist from Canada. I bought it, took it home, and listened to it for about a month. Then I decided to try playing my own flute. I ordered one online, fell in love with it, and that Christmas my children bought me another flute. That was it – I was hooked. I loved it. I wanted to play more. From that time on, I slowly accumulated flutes – I must have thirty now. Over the years, I just kept buying them and playing. I found my calling. Playing the flute became more than a hobby – it became a way to connect with my culture, express myself, and share healing music with others.”

For the past two years, Taylor has shared his music across Edmonton. “The same inspired group of companies puts on an Indigenous childcare conference along with Treaty Days, so they always get me to come and play at their events. I played at Victoria’s School last night, and they’ve got me booked four times this year.” Taylor plays at many schools across Edmonton and has attended numerous elementary schools to perform at cultural day events.

He is also preparing to bring music to the youngest audiences. “I’m going to be playing for three- to five-year-olds at the Indigenous Head Start program, so I’ll become the Pied Piper, getting them to follow me around. I’ll also teach them about the wind spirit, the wood spirit, and how they all work together to create this beautiful sound.”

About five years ago, Taylor expanded his artistry to flute-making. “I started the woodworking part of it and learned a lot along the way – got a lot of firewood in the process! But now I’m at the point where I think I’ve got the voice down the way I like it. From here, I can start making more flutes and getting them out there.”

His approach to crafting flutes is both technical and spiritual. “I create a lot of my flutes. I ask the Creator to help me make them. I don’t have a particular sound in mind when I start, but I make it, and then I tune it into keys. They’re in the minor pentatonic scale, and I put them into different keys like A, B, C, D, E, A-sharp. After I get it together, I find the fundamental note and let the flute tell me what it wants to be.”

Taylor made it clear that he was prepared to record his music. When asked if he was serious, he confirmed, and he was given the opportunity to record – a moment he found remarkable; “I felt totally honoured and thankful to the Creator because I had put it out into the universe that I was ready to record, and then I pursued it – and it happened.” Now Taylor is focused on securing support for his music – creating CDs, promoting his work, and reaching a broader audience.

Looking ahead, Taylor is being booked for cultural events, schools, and festivals where he can share his music with a wider audience.