{"id":6026,"date":"2025-02-03T15:11:58","date_gmt":"2025-02-03T14:11:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svensktvisarkiv.se\/?page_id=6026"},"modified":"2025-12-01T09:59:40","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T08:59:40","slug":"sami-joik","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/svensktvisarkiv.se\/en\/sami-voices\/sami-joik\/","title":{"rendered":"Sami yoik"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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Yoiking a person or animal<\/h2>\n<\/external-link-icon><\/div>\n\n
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Traditional yoiks relate to what has been described as a\u00a0reference object<\/em>; this may be a person, an animal or a place. A performer does not yoik\u00a0about<\/em>\u00a0a particular person or animal, but rather yoiks that person or animal, which is to say, giving them a musical formation in performance, influenced by the yoiker\u2019s perception and appreciation of their qualities.<\/p>\n<\/external-link-icon><\/div>\n\n

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These yoik melodies are used by social groups, so that the yoiks become a form of musical name for the reference object, which many Sami can recognise and perform at different times. For example, during Karl Tir\u00e9n\u2019s recording sessions it sometimes occurred that when a new person came into the room, one of the present yoikers would begin to perform the \u2018personal yoik\u2019 of that individual, as a means of welcome and of confirming his or her relationship with them.<\/p>\n<\/external-link-icon><\/div>\n\n

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Musical characteristics<\/h2>\n<\/external-link-icon><\/div>\n\n
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It is often possible to identify yoik through its approach to the voice and timbre \u2013 often sung with what has been described as a \u201cpressed\u201d or \u201cpinched\u201d voice, and a rich use of ornaments and glissandi between notes. When yoik melodies are represented in musical notation, it is not unusual to see asymmetrical time signatures (for example, 5\/8, 7\/8 or 11\/8), with the melodies often being cyclical, so that the performance may continue for as long as the yoiker desires, or the situation allows.<\/p>\n<\/external-link-icon><\/div>\n\n

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The Swedish verb\u00a0jojka<\/em>\u00a0is derived from the Sami\u00a0juiogat<\/em>. In Swedish, the act of yoiking has increasingly come to be known as yoik. Quite simply, you yoik a yoik. The S\u00e1mi terminology is rather different. In the Northern Sami language, one yoiks a\u00a0luohti<\/em>\u00a0(plural\u00a0luo\u00f0it<\/em>), in Lulesami, a\u00a0vuolle<\/em>\u00a0(plural\u00a0vuole<\/em>) and in Southern Sami, a\u00a0vuelie\u00a0<\/em>(plural\u00a0vuelieh<\/em>). For the performance of songs and hymns the terms\u00a0l\u00e1vla<\/em>, singing, and\u00a0l\u00e1vlut<\/em>, to sing, are used.<\/p>\n<\/external-link-icon><\/div>\n\n

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Further reading<\/h2>\n<\/external-link-icon><\/div>\n\n
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