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Daniel Bigay is a flute maker, artist, performer/recording artist, and demonstrator. He is also an enrolled member of the Echota Cherokee tribe and member of the Indian Arts and Crafts Association (http://www.iaca.com). He has been making traditional Native American art for over 25 years, and have been making Native American Flutes full time for the last 10 years. His flutes has won awards at many Native Art shows and powwows, including the Five Civilized Tribes Museum in Muskogee, OK, the Rankokus American Indian Art show in Rancocus, NJ, the Spirit of America Native American Art show in Atlanta, GA, and CIAC Indian Arts Expo, Merrillville, IN. Additionally, he’s created replicas of ancient flutes and artifacts for museums. Bigay’s flutes are played by many nationally known Native American recording artists including Bill Miller, Tommy Wildcat, Jeff Ball, Ed Three Eagles, Lowery Begay, Adrian Wall, and others.
As a performer, Bigay has two CD’s that have been nationally released. The most recent release received a nomination for best flute recording at the 2005 Indian Summer Music Awards. He has appeared as a performer or demonstrator at numerous native art shows, powwows, and schools. Mountain Spirit Flutes been featured in newspapers and on TV. Bigay is involved in the local schools (providing educational information about flutes and southeastern Indians), flute making demonstrations, and flute workshops. His is active in his small local art community on Viking Mountain, where he lives a simple life that is closely connected to family, friends, neighbors, his culture, and nature. Mountain Spirit Flutes hopes this is reflected in the quality of their flutes and regalia items.
"This is one guy you should really go walk around in the woods with. Danny is truly like a brother to me. I had to follow him down his path a little to find my own and for a time while he and I were living in a tipi on a farm in North Georgia, He carried me when no one else could. This was one of the most important times in my life. Danny was (and still is) truly a mountain man (man of the mountains) and he has been a great teacher to me in many ways.
I made my first pieces of twig furniture from birch branches he had gathered in the Adirondacks in the days when he was first starting to make flutes in his little no electricity workshop beside the creek, with the horses and the wolves… This mans craft is rooted in his spirit. His flutes play like a dream and sound like only Danny Bigay flutes do. Learn more about life at the Mountain Spirit Flutes web site." - Lee Walker
 North Georgia Farm |
 North Georgia Farm |
 Tom Goodman, Lee Walker (cedar), Shawn McWilliams and Danny Bigay after the Y2K sweat - Feb 1, 2000 |
images by various photographers
Birch and Poplar Bark
Twig Chair