The Sami language: Yoik – a way of remembering

[Maarit]

The Sami language: Yoik – a way of remembering
It is often said that yoiking is one of oldest forms of music in Europe. But it has not always been appreciated by the powers that be. The Danish-Norwegian king Christian IV proclaimed in 1609 that those who practiced Sami witchcraft, which included yoiking, would be condemned to death.
Yoiking attracted little attention for many centuries but there has been a renaissance for in the last few decades, and many young Sami are now becoming aware of their cultural heritage. The interest in the music of other minority peoples around the world has probably stimulated the revival. Both Sami and non-Sami singers today are renewing the yoik and creating modern music. Mari Boine is one of the most well-known of these singers.
The tune and the lyrics are interwoven in a yoik. You do not yoik about something, you yoik something. The subject of the yoik may be a mountain, an animal or a person. It may also describe feeling, joy or sadness. As in the Saimi language, there are many yoiking dialects depending on where the yoiker is from.

See you
Maarit

[Admin]

Hm, this sounds fascinating. I've never heard of it.
Thanks!

[Amparo González]

I went to Norway last November and we could visit a Sami family who had a reindeer farm. The woman who was in charge cooked a reindeer traditional hotpot for us, and after we had lunch, she sang two different Yoiks for us, one dedicated to her son and the other one to her culture. It was a magical experience.

The Sami culture is important in Nordic countries and government gives them special treatment to avoid the disappearance. One of the main problems they face is that new generations do not want to follow old traditions and professions such as reindeer farmer.