A young Cherokee man goes to the river and searches for the perfect river cane to make a flute. He cuts the stalk of cane for his flute, hollows it using a heated rod, then bores five holes. The number of holes regulates the sound the flute will make.

The young man listens to his heart and composes a song to his loved one. It is an original song from his heart, created just for her. If the couple marry, this song remains a symbol of their love throughout their life together.

The cardinal is the daughter of the Sun in Cherokee legend and is also the symbol for woman.

This is one of the stories about the river cane flute. The John Howard Payne papers tell us that the elders in 1835 believed the river cane flute to be one of the few native instruments to the Cherokee, along with the horn trumpet and the gourd and turtle shell rattles. However, these elders who were interviewed in 1835 stated that the flute had 6 holes at that time.