Guys, it's been quite a musical journey. We got to visit the amazing Native Americans, Africans, Arabic,etc, and dive deep into their music culture. Today is our last stop, and it's a big one. Let's take one more dive into the music culture of the Inuit.
Who are the Inuit?
The Inuit are Indigenous people that are native to the arctic of North America, parts of Greenland and some have even been found in Russia. To some people, the term "Eskimos" is more familiar, but this term is pejorative to some Inuits (pejorative is disapproval or expressing contempt for those who may not know because I definitely didn't know) because they believe that word is an ethnic slur. But let's travel back some, about 8,000 years ago the first Inuits settled in the Arctic, but no one really knew they existed till 5,000 years ago. Because of the evidence left behind all those years ago we learned that they survived in closely connected villages. Hunted seals and whales to provide food, shelter, and clothing. And similar to the Native Americans, French and English explorers arrived and brought diseases, killing a lot of the Inuit people. This caused tension, even today between the Inuit and foreigners. Although the Inuit community wasn't entirely destroyed, in the mid-20th century Canada and the US took measures to ensure the Inuit could preserve their language, culture, and history. The two countries' governments even gave land to the Inuit to help them rebuild their villages.
Oh and two more things that I always wonder about the Inuit, Do they live in Igloos? and Is Eskimo kissing a thing in their culture? Sooo Yes and Yes! Inuit would use homes made of ice and snow to help shelter them from the harsh cold, but in modern days most Eskimos live in houses, but igloos are still used for camping trips. Anndd Igloos are actually pretty good insulters of body heat, yes they melt a bit because of the sun and constant body heat, but after an Inuit leaves, they freeze up again. As for the Eskimo kiss, it is actually an Inuit way of greeting each other called a kunik Due to the climates Inuit live in, their nose and eyes are usually the only things exposed. Another theory, proven true was that Inuits put their noses closes to inhale the breath of a loved one. In their culture inhaling a lover's breath is erotic, (not gonna lie it's kind of romantic too, in a spicy way). And there's a chance their tongues could freeze if they exchange saliva. Sooo that could be a big part of it.
Inuit Music
Traditional Inuit music is used for several purposes, for entertainment, a game, storytelling, and it's used in certain ceremonies. Their music is also all about drums, singing, and chanting. (very similar to Native American music, but with Inuit spicy). There are about five different categories in traditional Inuit music: Pisiit, Ayaya, Iviutiit, Katajjaq, Drum dancing.
Pisiit
Pisiit is Ancient Inuit music that consists of chant-like songs telling the stories of survival, joy, resilience, and healing. These songs are how the Inuit tell their history and carry it through generations. They are their personal songs, that charter to each Inuit specifically. Pisiit songs are also sung with only drum accompaniment.
Ayaya
Ayaya are songs meant for people to express themselves, to get out whatever was on their mind and turn it into a song. The songs are never written out, they're purely improvised according to the person's feelings and thoughts. A song that was personal to them and this song would often be shared during dinner time.
Iviutiit
In Inuit Culture they do not express anger. They believe it is emotion only for very small children. Instead, they express their anger through songs of embarrassment called Iviutiit. Iviutiit songs are meant to poke fun at others, think of it like break dancing instead of fist fighting. They believe the funnier a song is about the person and the harder people laugh, then there are fewer chances evil spirits will could into your home, heart, and take over your life. (sadly couldn't find an Iviutiit song).
Katajjaq
Throat singing. Yup, you heard me, Katajjaq is throat singing in Inuit. This type of singing is traditionally performed by two women facing each other; One is the beat and the other the melody. Their singing is a mixture of husky chanting, low growling, and imitations of nature. It is also a competition between the two women. Whoever stops, laughs, or runs out of breath loses.
Though this type of singing may sound easy, it's not it takes years of training and practice, usually, girls begin singing when they are very young and are taught by their mothers or grandmothers. (also I would take a small look at the videos gives you some extra history and it's pretty cool!)
Drum Dancing
So I want you to imagine a dance circle. You're in middle school at the 8th-grade dance and someone starts a dance circle. Everyone is getting hyped up and jumps in the middle to show off their moves. THIS is what drum dancing is, but instead of the funky beats we're used to, the music is provided by a drummer and sometimes accompanied by Ayaya singers and the drummers are the music and the dancers. Usually, the audience waits for the drummer to step up, and if they don't, singers summon a drummer to the floor by singing their Pisiit song. Each drummer steps up shows off their moves and skills, then stops and makes room for the next. Originally, drum dancing was during gathers to celebrate successful hunts or to honor someone's death. And different tribes have different ways of drum dancing, some have several drums at once while others dance.
Musical Instruments
In Inuit music, it only has two categories of instruments, Percussion and String. In Percussion the main instrument is a wooden drum called the qilaut. It's made from boiled and bent strips of wood, dehairded animal skin. and is usually struck by a qatuk, aka a wooden beater. The next instrument that has been recently introduced to the Inuit, but only a few groups play it, is called a Jew's Harp (do you remember from my Indian blog?). The other percussion instruments are just small drums and rattles, the Qilaut is the most used and popular in Inuit music.
(Jew's Harp)
(Qilaut)
The string instruments are just two the Tautirut and the Kelutviaq. The Tautirut is basically you're violin but with an Inuit twist. And the Kelutivaq is a one-string fiddle/lute. It's usually played by the Inuit tribe called the Yup'ik of Nelson Island and southwest Alaska. (Sadly I also Couldn't find a picture or video of the Kelutivaq).
(Tautirut)
That's all for now and the rest of the semester guys!
It has been a pleasure blogging for you all.
P.S not sure why the font is red and there's a green dot at the top. I tried to get rid of them but they are determined to stay. Sorry about that :(
ok, now I'm gone.
Works cited:
“PISIIT COURSE: INUIT ANCIENT SONGS FROM THE MASTERS!” PISIIT COURSE: INUIT ANCIENT SONGS FROM THE MASTERS! | Qaggiavuut!, 27 July 2018, www.qaggiavuut.ca/en/news/pisiit-course-inuit-ancient-songs-masters.
“Traditional Inuit Music.” Teacher as Researcher, 6 June 2017, leapintothevoidwithme.wordpress.com/2016/04/12/traditional-inuit-music/.
McMahon, Mary. “Who Are the Inuit People?” WiseGEEK, Conjecture Corporation, 17 Oct. 2020, www.wisegeek.com/who-are-the-inuit-people.htm.
Bednar, Ruth. “Eskimo Kiss: Origins and Myths.” Life Persona, Life Persona, 14 Feb. 2016, www.lifepersona.com/eskimo-kiss-origins-and-myths.
Writter, Staff. “Who Lives in Igloos?” Reference, IAC Publishing, 6 Apr. 2020, www.reference.com/world-view/lives-igloos-328f0224d34bc75c.
“Inuit Music.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Mar. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuit_music.
ReplyDeleteHey Asa! I really enjoyed your blog I loved that you did it on the Inuit people in Alaska I thought it was so interesting and loved that you choose them because I did not think of researching them. I thought it was interesting the they had an instrument that was so similar to the violin.
Hey Asa! Inuit throat singing is so wild, after I started this class, i would get so many throat singing videos and I even saw some on tiktok so I think that's amazing. I didn't know it was a competition, i thought it was a ritual type thing! Also, when I saw drum dancing, I really thought it was like dancing to only a drum or dancing around a drum. I didn't know it was going to be someone dancing with the drum!
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