Inuit Throat Singing

Inuit Culture

The Inuit are an indigenous people who inhabitat northern Canada. They orignate from Greenland, Siberia, and Alaska (Freeman 2010). The people utilize hunter-gatherer methods to survive in the Arctic regions. Bands consist of around 100 people and travel as seasons change and temperatures grow colder. In Inuti culture, the group must cooperate to gather enough food, shelter, and warmth to survive.

Inuit Throat Singing or "Katajjaq"

Throat singing, also called “katajjaq”(ka-ta-u-jaq) in the Inuit Inuktitut language, is an ancient kind of vocal technique traditionally used by groups of two or more Inuit women producing trance-like, guttural sounds intertwined thanks to circular breathing (Remy, 2020).

Katajjaq or throat singing is a game that the Inuit tribes have continued for generations. Throat-singing originated among the indigenous Turko-Mongol tribes of the Altai and Sayan mountains of southern Siberia and western Mongolia (Throat-singing 2015) (Merriam-Webster, Indigenous). Due to a large population of nomadic to semi nomadic people, the tradition of throat singing was distributed around the world. It can now be seen in cultures in Mongolia, Russia, China, and Canada.

Past and Present Inuit Throat Singing

The Inuit people live in extreme weather conditions, leading them to develop unique warming techniques.The women and children of Inuit tribes utilized throat singing as a way to warm their throats in the freezing cold. It also was used as an early form of communication to call out to the other band members. The men of the tribe utilized throat singing while hunting, where they would replicate the sounds of animals and shamans chant (A revival of indigenous throat singing, 2021). This allows them to communicate even in harsh environmental conditions.

The Inuit vocal games were banned by Christian missionaries who believed throat singing violated their practices. Katajjaq practices became almost nonexistent until the 1980s. Women began teaching their daughters about throat singing in order to bring the game back to life. The elders quickly joined in the teaching and vocal games became increasingly common in Inuit society. Throat singing is presently seen in Russia, Canada, and Mongolia.

The Game

The point of katajjaq as a game is to become close while trying to make the other person laugh of happiness.

The Comfort

Katajjaq can be very bonding and spiritual as well.

Katajjaq has helped many keep in touch with their Inuit side as time goes on. Tik Tok star Shina Novalinga speaks on her story as to how Katajjaq helped her reconnect. Shina not only reconnected with her culture but also with her mother as they sang together for tik tok. Shina said that “We have this connection that is kind of unexplainable between mother and daughter and it gives me this zone of comfort when I throat sing with her” (A revival of indigenous throat singing 2021) .

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Works Cited

BBC. (n.d.). A revival of indigenous throat singing. BBC Travel. Retrieved October 2, 2021, from https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210414-a-revival- of-indigenous-throat-singing.

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Throat-singing. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved October 2, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/art/throat- singing.

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Indigenous. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved October 2, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indigenous.

Remy, J. (2020, June 19). 'new wave' of Inuit throat singers reach the Canadian mainstream music scene. RCI. Retrieved October 2, 2021, from https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2020/06/19/new-wave-of-inuit-throat-singers-reach-the-canadian-mainstream-music-scene/.

Freeman, M. A. (2010, June 8). The Canadian Encyclopedia. Inuit. Retrieved December 6, 2021, from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/inuit.

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