What is joik, what’s the difference between joik and singing? Can you joik a hare? In this workshop, children get to meet Sara Ajnnak, who has reclaimed an almost extinct cultural heritage with her hell-bent stubbornness and patience.
Joik is a way to remember, to get a sense of what has been, through dreaming away from the present with the voice as your tool. Joik is a Sami tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation, with information about the land, the animals and the people. Joik is one of Europa’s most ancient forms of singing and much more than just a way to use one’s voice. The melodies contain strong emotions, advanced rhythms, hidden stories and messages, memories from both events, animals and people. When the colonization of Sápmi started in the 17th century, and the church made its entrance in the north, the joik was banned from churches. It was considered a tool for evoking the powers of the devil, and should be exterminated at all costs.”
Workshop for children, age 4-6
Let the children get a glimpse into the ancient joik tradition. During the course of one hour the children will explore the joik as means of expression, together with Sara. How do you really joik a hare (rabbit) or a bear? Together, they explore the sounds of the forest, the rhythms and the tonality. While they’re approaching the different animals of Sápmi, they learn the difference between joiking and singing. The children will get an understanding, through playfulness, of how the body and voice is connected and challenge themselves to try something new.
Workshop for youths
Discover your body and the voice as a tool. We approach the joik in a playful way and get to know our voices. For one hour, the group will get a glimpse of the history and background of joik, together we learn new joiks and find the keys for new ones.