The university museum at UiT – the Arctic University of Norway currently holds what is said to be the largest archive of yoik in the world. The university museum is now in a process of publishing yoik recordings on different digital platforms through the DigiJoik project. At the same time, a diversity of artists and institutions publish their own older yoik recordings or new yoiks on digital platforms, thus signalling that the use of older yoik recordings is in rapid change. 

The museum was heavily criticized for restricting access to an important part of Sámi cultural heritage, as access to the archive was mainly possible through personal visits to the museum.

The archive has had numerous visits by Sámi artists and is viewed as a treasure chest for insight into the diversity of older yoiks and traditions. Many artists have based their own work on yoik recordings they have heard in the archive, such as Inga Juuso. In this live podcast, we investigate the relations between the archive and how it is perceived and used by contemporary yoikers and artists.

In what sense has the archive shaped Sámi artists? What can the yoik archive teach us from an artistic perspective? In what ways is the recorded material perceived and used by contemporary artists?

The talk will be about listening, perceiving and vitalizing based on the different perceptions and perspectives the participants have from their experiences working with yoik-recordings from The university museum at UiT – the Arctic University of Norway.

The talk will be recorded live to the podcast Sámi ritmmat / Samiske rytme