Huaco Silbador-Peruvian Whistling Vessel - Great Red Macaw

This chambered hollow clay replica of a pre-Columbian whistling vessel bears a zoomorphic head of a woodpecker on its front chamber. Sculpted by ethnomusicologist Jose Vitancio Humeres of Peru, it is a replica of an original design. "I think the sounds these instruments make were to create positive energy," says Vitancio Humeres.

Constructed of two chambers, as well as a system of air ducts and aqueducts, the vessel is filled partially with water, and when held and tipped, pushes the air outward to create melodic sounds, through one or more whistle holes. The whistle on this piece works with a strong sound. A functional musical instrument and a brilliant piece of art. Exquisitely made in Peru.