A RIZONA iS culturally one of the oldest areas in the western hemisphere. At the time of the discovery of America, the Indians of the Southwest had developed the highest degree of civilization known in North America. Several centuries before the Spanish conquest, various Indian tribes had abandoned their nomadic habits and with a more settled life began to esercise artistic expressions as exhibited in their basketry, pottery, sand painting, drawing, and music. The problem of studying pre-historic1 Indian music has been complicated by the failure of the New World Indians to devise a system of musical notation. It is evident, however, that music played an important role in the early Indian culture, for various musical instruments have been found among Indian ruins and excavations. It has been primarily within the present century that archeological expeditions have produced objective evidence that early Indian cultures included music. Fortunately the arid climate of Arizona has been favorable for the preservation of many early Indian artifacts. Perhaps the best collection of prehistoric Indian musical instruments available is to be found in the Arizona State Museum at Tucson. One of the oldest instruments displayed is a rattle which has been identified as having come from the Basketmaker II period.2