Joik

A yoik (also spelled joik like in Norwegian, where however the j is pronounced like English y), luohti, vuolle, vuelie, leu'dd, or juoiggus is a traditional form of song of the Sami people of the Nordic countries and Kola Peninsula of Russia. Originally, joik referred to only one of several Sami singing styles, but in English the word is often used to refer to all types of traditional Sami singing. As an art form, each yoik is meant to reflect or evoke a person, animal, or place.

The sound of yoik is comparable to the traditional chanting of some Native American cultures. There are also features shared with the shamanistic cultures of Siberia, which mimic the sounds of nature.

History

As the Sami culture had no written language in the past, there are no references to how or where yoik originated. According to oral traditions, the fairies and elves of the arctic lands gave yoiks to the Sámi People. Just Quigstad, who recorded the Sami oral tradition, has documented this legend in several works. Music researchers believe yoik is one of the longest-living music traditions in Europe.

During the Christianization of the Sami, yoiking was condemned as sinful. The assimilation policies (Norwegianization and similar) and the views of churches and ecclesiastical movements on yoiking as sin have played important roles in its devaluation. One of the reasons that yoiking was controversial may be its association with noaidi (Sámi shamans) and pre-Christian mythology rituals, with yoiking said to resemble magic spells. In the 1950s, it was forbidden to use yoiking in Sami area schools. In 2014, a parish council discussed "if they should implement a total ban against music other than [church] hymns in the churches in Kautokeino and Maze. The proposal was shot down, but many still wonder why yoiking in church is such a controversial issue".

Despite this suppression, yoiking was strongly rooted in the culture and its tradition was maintained. Yoiking is still practiced and is used as a source of inspiration. Recently, yoiks are sung in two different styles: a traditional style, known as the "mumbling" style; and a modern style sung mostly by young people, and used as an element in contemporary Sami music.

Personal and evocative nature

The yoik is a unique form of cultural expression for the Sami people in Sápmi. This type of song can be deeply personal or spiritual in nature, often dedicated to a human being, an animal, or a landscape as a personal signature. Improvisation is not unusual. Each yoik is meant to reflect a person or place. The Sami verb for presenting a yoik (e.g. Northern Sami juoigat) is a transitive verb, which is often interpreted as indicating that a yoik is not a song about the person or place, but that the yoiker is attempting to evoke or depict that person or place through song – one yoiks one's friend, not about one's friend (similarly to how one doesn't paint or depict about a flower, but depicts the flower itself).

Musical and lyrical forms

Traditionally, yoiks have short lyrics or no lyrics at all. However, there are other forms of yoik (in the expanded sense of the word) that have a more epic type of lyrics. Yoik is traditionally chanted a cappella, but in modern times may be accompanied by a drum (though not a Sami drum, which is used for ceremonial purposes only) or other musical instruments. The tonality of yoik is mostly pentatonic, but yoikers are at liberty to use any tones they please.

In northern Sami areas, most yoiks are personal, that is, tied to a specific person. A yoik is often made for a person at the time he or she is born. British actress Joanna Lumley experienced several yoiks during her travel program Joanna Lumley in the Land of the Northern Lights, joining a northern Sami elder. Lumley learned that there appeared not to be a yoik of the Aurora, and that the Sami do not talk much about them.

There are many different styles within yoiking:

• Vuolle is a South Sami yoiking with an old-world feel, since its development was halted in the face of Christianity. To avoid being seen as savage or heathen, the South Sami mostly stopped yoiking.
• Luohti is the North Sami variant and currently the most-developed yoiking style.
• Leu'dd is the East Sami variant.

Imitative sounds and shamanism

Further information: Imitation of sounds in shamanism

Some of the Sami people's traditional Noaidi beliefs and practices shared important features with those of some Siberian cultures. Some of their yoiks were sung during shamanistic rites, and this memory is conserved also in a folklore text (a shaman story). As in various cultures of Northern Asia, mimicking sounds from nature can also be present.

Yoiking in popular culture

Even though yoiking is a traditional form of singing, it has found its way into modern-day pop culture through adaptation and commercialization by various artists. One notable example is the 1980 Norwegian entry "Sámiid ædnan" for the Eurovision Song Contest, which features a song predominantly sung in Norwegian and interweaved with yoiking in its chorus. Subsequently, this song has been occasionally used as a game chant by Norwegian football fans, as well as British fans from the Accrington Stanley F.C.. Furthermore, an uncredited sample of this song was featured in the 2011 science-fiction horror film The Thing.

Through its inclusion in other popular films, the Sami culture and yoiking in particular has managed to achieve national acclaim. Of particular note is Disney’s Frozen, which is heavily inspired by Scandinavian and Sami culture. This is evident in its use of typical elements of the Sami people, including reindeer herding and outfit styles. Furthermore, South Sami musician and yoiker Frode Fjellheim composed the opening track of Frozen, titled “Vuelie”, which is an adaptation of his original track “Eatnemen Vuelie (Song of the Earth)”. This growing adaptation of Sami elements, in particular yoiking, points towards a gradual revitalization of the culture.

Yoiking is also an important element of the Sami Grand Prix, an annual music competition modeled after the Eurovision Song Contest. This competition draws contestants from Norway, Sweden and Finland, with strong representation from minorities belonging to the Sami community. The traditional art form is significant in both the yoik and song competition of the Grand Prix. In the yoik component, contestants, usually dressed in traditional Sami clothing, perform yoiks that are specifically prepared for the competition, without any accompanying instruments. The succeeding song component features participants who often incorporate elements of yoiking into their pop entries, which suggests a revival and growing appeal of infusing traditional Sami musical practices with modern-day music.

In addition, the 1970s proved to be a fruitful period for the Sami people and yoik music in particular, with what academics have coined the "yoik renaissance". Specifically, the emergence of Sami-owned record company, Jårgalæddji, in Norway, that resulted from a collaboration between Sami musicians. As a result, it became easier for Sami artistes and producers to gain funding for their projects, with over 40 albums and cassettes of Sami and yoik music released in that period. Sources of funding included not only private investors, but also the Norwegian and Swedish culture boards. This led to an unprecedented commercialization of Sami music, as well as the performance of yoiking, which was a crucial focus of the Jårgalæddji. While the bankruptcy of this record company in the mid-1980s led to a slowdown in production of Sami and yoik albums, such growth led to a resurgence of interest in traditional Sami culture and music.

Other artists who are famous for their interpretations of yoik include Mari Boine, Jon Henrik Fjällgren and the band Korpiklaani, who have combined yoiks with various other styles such as jazz, metal and rock. In particular, Fjallgren won the Swedish Talang 2014 competition, a reality talent show, through his moving rendition of traditional yoik songs. He subsequently released a debut studio album in 2014, Goeksegh, which features multiple yoik tracks such as “Daniel’s Joik”, “The Reindeer Herder’s Joik” and “Nejla’s Joik”.

Notable artists

• Frode Fjellheim is a widely known yoiker, front-man of Transjoik (earlier called Frode Fjellheim Jazz Joik Ensemble). Fjellheim contributed the yoik "Eatnamen Vuelie" ("Song of the Earth") as the opening song to Disney's holiday blockbuster, Frozen.
• Wimme Saari is one of the world's most renowned Sami artists and traditional musicians, whose use of yoik is a central factor in his music. He has been collaborating with other artists in recent years, including Swedish trio Hedningarna. Saari mixes some elements of the old-style yoiking with new sounds.
• Mari Boine from Norway is one of the most popular artists of her Sami culture. She blends elements of yoik with other idioms, including jazz, rock, and world music.
• Nils-Aslak Valkeapää was a well-known modern Sami writer, musician, and artist using yoik in his work. He performed at the opening ceremony of the 1994 Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway.
• Sofia Jannok is a Swedish singer from Gällivare, Sweden. She mainly sings in Sami and does yoiking.
• Ánde Somby is a traditional yoik artist and a research scholar at the Faculty of Law, University of Tromsø, who yoiks persons, animals, and landscapes.
• Jonne Järvelä of the Finnish band Korpiklaani (formerly known as Shaman) is proficient at yoiking, though little-known outside the folk metal circuit. Both of Shaman's albums were labeled "joik metal", drawing heavily from Sami music. After the name-change, the band switched to a more conventional folk-metal sound. He was also featured on the Jaktens Tid album of fellow Finnish folk metal band, Finntroll.
• Adjágas, a Norwegian band, has recently been taking yoiking around the world.
• Ulla Pirttijärvi mixes traditional yoik with more modern musical trends.
• Angelit is a Finnish Sami folk group which has similarly evolved their yoik musical traditions.
• Antye Greie's record Source Voice contains one track titled "Digital Yoik", inspired by her time spent with Sami people in Northern Finland.
• Jon Henrik Fjällgren is a Swedish singer and jojkare, an interpreter of Yoik Sami songs, winner of the Swedish Talang Sverige 2014 competition, and two-time participant in Melodifestivalen (2015 and 2017) with the songs "Jag är fri (Manne leam frijje)" and "En värld full av strider (Eatneme gusnie jeenh dåaroeh)" (featuring Aninia), coming 2nd and 3rd respectively.

External links

• Ande Somby's yoik-room
• The Sami Yoik - detailed article with audio files.
• Laitinen, Heikki (1994). "The many faces of the yoik".
• Wimme by Harri Römpötti
• Finnish Music Information Center
• Sami Folk Bands & Musicians online
• Joik and the theory of knowledge by Ánde Somby
• DAT artists