MY DRUM TAUGHT ME TO JOIK

I did not learn to joik in my childhood (learn about joiking here). I never thought that I would be yoiking either, I have always seen myself as a singer, and I never yoiked much, for different reasons I will tell about soon.
But a few years ago I started thinking more and more about what singing actually is, what is music, why do I really want to sing etc...?  I just got very philosofical about things and life. And I wondered about joiking as well. What is joiking anyway, and why don´t I joik?
Always when I travelled abroad people where intrested in hearing about it and hearing joiks. I started thinking that "I am sami singer, so I should joik as well!"

I had made a drum at a workshop at this shaman festival Isogaisa, and I sometimes would take it out and try it. I listened to it carefully and it felt like the drum was making the sound of the earth. It´s hard to explain, but the sound made me feel the earth more, and it connected me to it. I enjoyed drumming  - just making sound and I started hymning to it at well... I sang different songs, and just played with it.
One day I suddenly started making sounds similar to what american-indians would make. Humming in a way, and at this point I felt myself opening up. I felt that this sound came through me - it was not soemthing I created - like I do when I sing, but it was something that came to me from the earth.



I stopped doing this hymn and though "Why am I making noises like an indian, I am not indian, I am sami...? This doesnt make sense."
I continued playing with the sound, and after a while I made sounds that are more similar to sami joik then it was to indian ways.

That was the moment I realised that this is why we indigenous peoples have so much in common. Why we are like brothers and sisters all of us. Why we always stick together and support each other. It is of this one reason : We all get our inspiration, wisdom and values from the same source - the earth. Mother earth. And this is where the sounds we make come from to. Joiking is the sound of the earth.

Read about joik here: http://elinkaaven.blogspot.no/2015/12/what-is-joik.html