Introduction to ancient throat singing in the Inuit culture in Arctic
Canada. Describes recent revival of this entertainment form.
Originally, Inuit throat singing was a form of entertainment among
Inuit women while the men were away on hunting trips. It was an
activity that was primarily done by Inuit women although there have
been some men doing it as well. In the Inuit language Inuktitut, throat
singing is called katajjaq, pirkusirtuk or nipaquhiit depending on the
Canadian Arctic region. It was regarded more as a type of vocal or
breathing game in the Inuit culture rather than a form of music.
Inuit throat singing is generally done by two individuals but can
involve four or more people together as well. In Inuit throat singing,
two Inuit women would face each other either standing or crouching down
while holding each other's arms. One would lead with short deep
rhythmic sounds while the other would respond. The leader would repeat
sounds with short gaps in between. The follower would fill in these
gaps with her own rhythmic sounds. Sometimes both Inuit women would be
doing a dance like movement like rocking from left to right while
throat singing. Sounds produced can be voiced or unvoiced and produced
by inhalation or exhalation. Both Inuktitut words and meaningless
syllables are used in Inuit throat singing songs. However, when words
are used in throat singing, no particular meaning is placed on them for
a song. When meaningless syllables are used, they are often portrayals
of sounds the Inuit hear in their natural environment such as animal
sounds or even water running down a creek. Popular Inuit throat singing
songs are usually identified by the first word or sound that is
produced in each song.
Inuit throat singing is a skill that has to be taught and developed.
Inuit throat singers try to show their vocal abilities in a fun
competitive manner and the first one to either run out of breath, stop
or laugh is declared the loser of the game. Each game usually lasts
from one to three minutes. In a group of Inuit women, the overall
winner is the one who beats the largest number of her competitors in
this fun filled activity.
Unfortunately, there is no written record of when the Inuit first
developed their form of throat singing which differs from the type
found in Mongolia and other parts of the world that has some form of
throat singing. The Inuit did not keep any written records and history
was simply passed down from generation to generation orally. It was
reported that at one point in time, Inuit women would actually have
their lips almost touching while using each other's mouth cavity as a
sound resonator. This technique is not used anymore.
Inuit throat singing was actually forbidden by Christian priests for
almost 100 years but since this religious ban was lifted, there has
been a resurfacing of this traditional activity in the Inuit
communities during the last 20 to 30 years. Interestingly enough, there
has been a lot of interest among the younger Inuit generations in this
revival in addition to the Inuit elders who are trying to bring throat
singing back as part of present Inuit culture. Many of the young Inuit
women who have taken up throat singing claim that it is a way for them
to express their Inuit identities in the modern world where many Inuit
traditions have already been lost. The revival of Inuit throat singing
has been so popular that in September of 2001, the first throat singing
conference was held in Puvernituk, Nunavik where different types of
Inuit throat singing from different Arctic regions of Canada were
demonstrated and shared. There has even been a small number of Inuit
throat singing CDs produced.
