What Can a Melody Do? Animal and Personal Songs among the Sámi of Norway

A 'yoik' is a type of song found among the Sámi, an Indigenous people from the European Arctic. It is a short circular melody, with or without lyrics, describing the qualities of a person or an animal species. According to its practitioners, the 'yoik' is more than a musical genre made up by humans: it is a 'gift' received from the natural environment. Once used in shamanistic rituals, it is today performed on stage, but also remains a part of everyday life. Drawing from eleven years of research on Sámi singing traditions, this talk will explore how 'yoik' melodies are tied to human and animal personhood, and what their performance affords for singers and listeners.