The raw rebirth of the joik
Young Sami performers are bringing new life to one of Europe’s oldest song traditions. Ancient sounds meet modern genres. The result? A new wave of internationally acclaimed, prize-winning musicians.
"The joik is like the swirls of the northern lights and the wind on the mountain plateau. I feel other worldly when I joik."
Elle Márjá Eira, a multi-talented performer from Kautokeino in Northern Norway, was joiking before she could talk.
Today, she tells stories about her life as a reindeer herder through music she shares with the world.
She makes cool Arctic electronic music influenced by traditional Sami tunes and melodies.
“Joik is in my blood. I have been practicing it in all situations and phases of life. When I’m joiking, I feel that my ancestors are with me.”
The language of the heart
Passed down from generation to generation, joik is the chanting song of the Sami people and has survived through centuries. Some of the oldest joiks we know today were recorded by priests and missionaries in the 1700s and 1800s.
According to oral tradition, however, the Sami were given their joik by the fairies and elves of the Arctic lands. Joik was traditionally a vital tool for passing down knowledge and stories.
“I do not joik about something, I joik something or someone. It could be a person, an animal, a lake, or a mountain. I love to joik my great grandfather Orbona Aslat. His joik has been passed down within the family for more than 150 years.”
“Joik is the language of the heart. It’s proud. It's personal. It's complexity, identity, memories, soul, spirituality.”
A painful past
It is neither possible nor fair to tell the story of joik without including a very dark chapter in Norwegian history.
For centuries, the Sami lived under intense pressure from the Norwegian government. According to Store Norske Leksikon, a Norwegian encyclopedia, the abusive policies started with missionary work in the early 1600s.
For a long time, the Sami weren’t allowed to speak their own language and were forced to learn Norwegian under strict assimilation policies.
Joiking was condemned as sinful and was forbidden in Sami schools.
It was not until 1988 that the Sami Act was incorporated into the Norwegian constitution.
By then, the Sami language and joik had disappeared from several regions.
The new era of joik
“The joiking traditions are being revitalised. There is a growing awareness, especially among people in my generation,” says Marja Mortensson, a South Sami joiker and singer from Hedmark.
Her music centres around different aspects of her Sami identity.
In 2017, she released her acclaimed debut album Aarehgïjre – Early Spring.
Just a year later, she released her second album, Mojhtestasse – Cultural Heirlooms, which won her Spellemannprisen – Norway's version of the Grammy – in the category Folk/traditional music.
“Despite the continuous battle to maintain our languages and cultural identity, there has been a positive change in recent years. Today, it feels safe to be Sami.”
Returned to her Sami roots
As a Southern Sami, Mortensson has not been exposed to joik to the same extent as Eira, who grew up in the North.
“In the South, much of what is left is preserved in archives. Joik has been hidden well.”
As a teenager, however, she decided she wanted to connect to her roots, so she started researching her family’s cultural heritage. Mortensson discovered several joiks that belonged to her family.
“Joik is like a whole philosophy. It’s about your connection with nature and the people around you. When I joik, my head is filled with images, and I feel that I am travelling – either to a place or into the soul of the person I am joiking.”
The greatest gift you can receive
Many Sami receive a joik as a present during their life. While some people have one, others have several personal joiks.
It’s a common way of appreciating the people around you. Instead of saying nice things about someone, you joik them.
“My dad once made me one. When he gave it to me, he said, with a twinkle in his eye: ‘this joik is as complex as you are’.”
Ancient traditions, modern sounds
Both Eira and Mortensson are celebrated for their innovative interpretations of joik and their ability to delicately blend vocal traditions with more modern genres like pop, electronica, and jazz.
" Nature, life, and the universe inspire me. I am not that concerned with genres and boundaries. There is a Sami saying: it is better to be in motion than to stand still.”
Mortensson agrees.
"As long as my music is closely related to joik, I allow myself to experiment and bring in new elements, such as drums, tuba, and percussion. Nevertheless, the joik philosophy is always the foundation of my work. What I convey should feel real. That's the only criterion I have."
Marja Mortensson
A proud (and loud) future
While Eira and Mortensson continue to nab awards and tour the world with modern interpretations of joik, they are also helping usher in a whole new generation of Sami artists.
The same way as famed musicians like Mari Boine, Frode Fjellheim, and Ann-Mari Andersen – to mention a few – did for them.
In 2013 joik was introduced to Hollywood, thanks to Frode Fjellheim, the South Sami musician and joiker who composed the opening track of Disney’s smash hit Frozen.
In May 2019, the Norwegian-Sami group KEiiNO, who combine pop, electronica, dance, and joik, finished sixth in the Eurovision Song Contest final in Tel Aviv.
The examples are many – the growing adaptation and commercialization of joik points towards a steady and strong revitalization of the old vocal tradition.
Rebirth. Revitalisation. Renaissance.
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