Join the National Nordic Museum and University of Washington’s Department of Scandinavian Studies for a special celebration of Sámi art and culture in Seattle, presented by the Beaivváš Sámi National Theatre!

About the performance:

When words are not enough, the yoik will carry on.

The Sami traditional music yoik is one of Northern Europe’s oldest music forms. It was given from one generation to another for thousands of years, and it is said to be a mythical gift given by the Sun’s Daughter to the Sami people for them to tame the wild reindeer herds. It is a musical identity mark. A signature. A gift from a mother to a daughter. A gift from a grandfather to a grandchild. A gift from a man to a woman. It is a way to remember. It is a way to gain courage. It is a weapon. It is a way to stay close to one another, even when you are separated and far away.

In this concert performance, the Sami National Theatre Beaivváš delves into the history and function of the yoik throughout the ages. The audience get to experience the authentic, close, personal yoik given from one person to another. They will get to hear the old yoik poems that travelled and inspired Europe’s poets in the late 1600s, and make a musical journey in time and space, through the ages up to the contemporary forms of yoik in our own modern age.