A church organ's stop with symbolism centuries deep

The new organ at First Lutheran church in Bemidji has 1,400 separate pipes. Each one was handcrafted and installed by world renowned Canadian organ company Casavant. It cost more than $500,000.

But centuries of racial tension are bringing a lot of attention to one single stop.

Early in the project, church leaders asked the Casavant sound engineers to build a set of pipes that could mimic the sound of a traditional Ojibwe flute, called a bibigwan.

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2018/06/20/church-organ-stop-with-symbolism-