Inuit women are the links to the past and to the future; Inuit women are the vessels of culture, health, language, traditions, teaching, care giving, and child rearing. These qualities are fundamental to the survival of any society. Video 4:11 min. For more information on Inuit women: Pauktuuti - Inuit Women of Canada http://www.pauktuutit.ca/home_e.html
Here is an extract of traditional Inuit throat singing, followed by a great song called "Inuit wedding" by the one and unique Sainkho Namtchylak, the famous Siberian singer, whose Tuvan singing style is close to the Inuit style.
Originally, Inuit throat singing was a form of entertainment among Inuit women while the men were away on hunting trips. It was regarded more as a type of vocal or breathing game in the Inuit culture rather than a form of music. In Inuit throat singing, two Inuit women would face each other either standing or crouching down while holding each other's arms. 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. 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. 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. There has been a resurfacing of this traditional activity in the Inuit communities during the last 20 to 30 years. The revival of Inuit throat singing has been so popular that in September of 2001, the first throat singing conference was held in Puvurnituq, Nunavik, where different types of Inuit throat singing from different Arctic regions of Canada were demonstrated and shared.
Enjoy this little tribute to the fabulous Inuit culture!
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