Editing Inuit throat singing

{{Short description|Form of musical performance uniquely found among the Inuit}}
{{about||throat singing by people in Tuva and Mongolia|Tuvan throat singing|the general technique|Overtone singing}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}}
[[File:Throat singing 1995-06-18.jpg|thumb|Traditional throat singers]]
'''Inuit throat singing''', or '''''katajjaq''''' ({{langx|iu|ᑲᑕᔾᔭᖅ}}), is a distinct type of [[throat singing]] uniquely found among the [[Inuit]]. It is a form of musical performance, <!--(also considered as a game ) --> traditionally consisting of two women who sing [[duet (music)|duet]]s in a close face-to-face formation with no instrumental accompaniment, in an entertaining contest to see who can outlast the other; however, one of the genre's most famous practitioners, [[Tanya Tagaq]], performs as a solo artist. Several groups, including [[Tudjaat]], [[The Jerry Cans]], [[Quantum Tangle]] and [[Silla + Rise]], also now blend traditional throat singing with mainstream musical genres such as pop, folk, rock and dance music.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120630183514/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hZfaVTdDdHtQbfTS6_8iqJRCHDVA "Inuit pop, Algonquin rap, Innu reggae aim for mainstream"]. [[Agence France-Presse]], 8 October 2009.</ref>

An analogous form called ''[[rekuhkara]]'' was once practiced among the [[Ainu people|Ainu]] of Hokkaidō, Japan.

== Names ==
The name for throat singing in Canada varies with the geography:

* Iirngaaq<ref name="NAC">[http://nac.nu.ca/OnlineBookSite/vol1/glossary.html#I ''Iirngaaq'', Nunavut Arctic College – Interviewing Inuit Elders, Glossary] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208131406/http://nac.nu.ca/OnlineBookSite/vol1/glossary.html#I |date=8 February 2012 }}</ref> – some [[Nunavut]] communities
* Piqqusiraarniq<ref name="NAC" /> or Pirkusirtuk<ref name="JJN">{{citation |first=Jean-Jacques |last=Nattiez |title=The Rekkukara of the Ainu (Japan) and the Katajjaq of the Inuit (Canada) A Comparison |journal= [[Le Monde de la musique]] |volume=25 |year=1983 |issue=2|pages=33–44 |jstor=43560906 }}</ref> – [[Igloolik]] and [[Baffin Island]]
* Qiarvaaqtuq<ref name="NAC" /> – [[Arviat]]
* Katajjaq<ref name="NAC" /> or Katadjak<ref name="JJN" /> – [[Nunavik]] and South Baffin
* Nipaquhiit<ref name="JJN" /> – some Nunavut communities

==History==
Originally, katajjaq was a form of entertainment among Inuit women while men were away on hunting trips, and it was regarded more as a type of vocal or breathing game in the Inuit culture rather than a form of music.<ref>Nattiez, Jean-Jacques (1987), "Musicologie générale et sémiologue", Translated by Carolyn Abbate, 1990 (Princeton, N.J.: [[Princeton University Press]]), {{ISBN|0-691-02714-5}}</ref><ref name="Inuit">{{cite web|title=Inuit Throat Singing|url=http://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/inuit.htm|publisher=mustrad.org.uk|first=Bruno|last=Deschênes|date=1 March 2002|access-date=15 June 2019}}</ref> Katajjiniq sound can create an impression of rhythmic and harmonious panting. Inuit throat singing can also imitate wind, water, animal sounds and other everyday sounds.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Katajjaniq - Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du Québec |url=https://www.patrimoine-culturel.gouv.qc.ca/rpcq/detail.do?id=3&methode=consulter&type=imma |access-date=2022-08-10 |website=www.patrimoine-culturel.gouv.qc.ca}}</ref>

<!-- The katajjaniq predates the period of contact with the first Europeans who explored the Quebec Arctic at the beginning of the 19th century.
 -->This playful practice testifies to a long oral tradition of the women of [[Nunavik]], a territory located in the North Québec region. From generation to generation, the Inuit have passed on knowledge of nature and the environment as well as the techniques associated with throat singing. Katajjaniq has rare, even unique, expressive characteristics.  Even though Inuit throat singing is no longer performed to hasten the return of hunters, attract animals or influence the natural elements, they still retain some of their original functions, such as entertainment and group cohesion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Katajjaniq, the Inuit throat singing, designated as the first element of Québec’s intangible heritage - News - Avataq |url=https://www.avataq.qc.ca/en/content/view/full/2949 |access-date=2022-08-10 |website=www.avataq.qc.ca}}</ref>

Very much alive in the Inuit communities of Quebec, the katajjaniq still marks the high points of [[Nunavik]] people since it is present in calendar holidays, cultural celebrations and important political events. A source of great pride and a powerful symbol of identity, the katajjaniq is a distinctive expression of Nunavik culture. The Inuit recognize katajjaniq as part of their cultural heritage.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Inuit throat singing gets cultural heritage status in Quebec {{!}} Globalnews.ca |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/1116482/throat-singing-gets-cultural-heritage-status-in-quebec/ |access-date=2022-08-10 |website=Global News |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Performance ==
Two women face each other usually in a standing position and holding each other's arms. Sometimes they will do some kind of dance movements while singing (e.g., balancing from right to left). One singer leads by setting a short [[rhythm|rhythmic pattern]], which she repeats leaving brief silent intervals between each repetition. The other singer fills in the gap with another rhythmic pattern. The sounds used include voiced sounds as well as unvoiced ones, both through [[inhalation]] or [[exhalation]].<ref name="secondthoughts">First Nations?.. Second Thoughts by Thomas Flanagan (2008) – 2nd ed. ({{ISBN|0773534431}})</ref> The first to run out of breath or be unable to maintain the pace of the other singer will start to laugh or simply stop and will thus be eliminated from the game. It generally lasts between one and three minutes. The winner is the singer who beats the largest number of people.<ref name="musicincanada">Music in Canada, capturing landscape and diversity by Elaine Keillor. Montreal [[McGill-Queen's University Press]]. (1939) ({{ISBN|0773531777}})</ref><ref name="CBC"/><ref name="Inuit"/>

At one time, the lips of the two women almost touched, so that one singer used the mouth cavity of the other as a [[resonator]], but this is less common in present day. Often, the singing is accompanied by a [[Swung note|shuffling]] in rhythm from one foot to the other. The sounds may be actual words or nonsense syllables or created during exhalation.<ref name="Inuit"/>
<blockquote>
The old woman who teaches the children [throat singing songs] corrects sloppy intonation of contours, poorly meshed phase displacements, and vague rhythms exactly like a Western vocal coach.<ref>{{citation|last=Nattiez, Jean-Jacques|author-link=Jean-Jacques Nattiez|orig-year=1987|year=1990 |title=Music and Discourse: Toward a Semiology of Music |pages=57 |location=Princeton, N.J. |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-09136-5}}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Nattiez |first=Jean-Jacques |title=Musicologie générale et sémiologue |year=1987 |work=Translated by Carolyn Abbate, 1990 |isbn=978-0-691-02714-2 |publisher=Princeton University Press |location=Princeton, N.J.}}</ref>
</blockquote>

==Notable performers==
Notable performers include [[Tanya Tagaq]], who performs in a contemporary style, and [[The Jerry Cans]], who incorporate throat singing by band member Nancy Mike as a musical and rhythmic element in a conventional [[folk rock]] sound and style. Traditional performers include [[Qaunak Mikkigak]], [[Kathleen Ivaluarjuk Merritt]], as well as [[Alacie Tullaugaq]] and [[Lucy Amarualik]] who perform in the Katajjaq style.

==Inuit throat singing in popular culture==
*In 2005, [[Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra]] recorded ''The Four Seasons Mosaic''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tafelmusik.org/media/presspdfs/Tafelmusik_CD_L'estro_armoinco.pdf|title=Tafelmusik.org}}{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> CD and DVD documentary. A reinvention of Vivaldi's Four Seasons by Mychael Danna featuring Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra; Jeanne Lamon, violin; Aruna Narayan, sarangi; Wen Zhao, pipa and throat singers Aqsarniit (Sylvia Cloutier and June Shappa).
*The British ITV documentary ''[[Billy Connolly: Journey to the Edge of the World]]'' features Billy Connolly in the Canadian Arctic. In the second episode, he visits a pair of women demonstrating the finer points of throat singing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.frontier-canada.co.uk/billyconnollyITVbaffinisland.php.|title=Frontier-canada.co.uk}}{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
*The 2012 CBC TV drama series ''[[Arctic Air]]'' features a theme song written by Tim McCauley and performed by [[Tanya Tagaq]], incorporating elements of traditional Inuit throat singing over a modern dance beat.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/arcticair/themedownload.html|title=Arctic Air Theme Song}}</ref>
*Tanya Tagaq won the [[2014 Polaris Music Prize]] for her album ''[[Animism (Tanya Tagaq album)|Animism]]''.<ref name=cbcpolaris>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/polaris-music-prize-2014-tanya-tagaq-wins-30k-prize-1.2774822 "Polaris Music Prize 2014: Tanya Tagaq wins $30K prize"]. [[CBC News]], 22 September 2014.</ref>
*In November 2015, incoming Canadian Prime Minister [[Justin Trudeau]] and his cabinet were sworn in by the [[Governor General]]. A pair of eleven-year-old Inuit girls, Samantha Metcalfe and Cailyn Degrandpre, performed throat singing at the ceremony.<ref name="CBC">[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/inuit-throatsingers-steal-the-show-at-justin-trudeau-s-swearing-in-ceremony-1.3304148 "Inuit throatsingers steal the show at Justin Trudeau's swearing-in ceremony"]. [[CBC News]], 4 November 2015.</ref>
*In January 2019, performers Eva Kaukai and Manon Chamberland premiered the short film ''[[Throat Singing in Kangirsuk]] (Katatjatuuk Kangirsumi)'' at the [[Sundance Film Festival]].<ref>T'cha Dunlevy, [https://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/dunlevy-throat-singing-nunavik-teens-are-stars-of-sundance "Dunlevy: Throat-singing Nunavik teens are stars of Sundance"]. ''[[Montreal Gazette]]'', January 31, 2019.</ref>
* In March 2020, professional singer Caroline Novalinga and her daughter [[Shina Novalinga]] gained recognition for videos throat singing on the video sharing app [[TikTok]]. They released an album together in June 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Foden |first1=Stephanie |last2=Balsam |first2=Joel |title=A revival of Indigenous throat singing |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210414-a-revival-of-indigenous-throat-singing |access-date=4 July 2021 |work=BBC |date=15 April 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
* Throat singing duo [[Iva and Angu]] received a [[Juno Award]] nomination for [[Juno Award for Traditional Indigenous Artist of the Year|Traditional Indigenous Artist of the Year]] at the [[Juno Awards of 2023]] for their album ''Katajjausiit''.<ref>[https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/aglukark-tagaq-among-inuit-2023-juno-nominees/ "Aglukark, Tagaq among Inuit 2023 Juno nominees"]. ''[[Nunatsiaq News]]'', January 31, 2023.</ref>

==Recognition==
In 2014, Nunavik throat singing (''katajjaniq'') became the first cultural item to be given the [[intangible cultural heritage]] designation by the government of the province of [[Quebec]], Canada.

==See also==
*[[Akazehe]]
*[[Tuvan throat singing]]
*[[Throat singing]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.ubu.com/ethno/soundings/inuit.html UBU.com], Canada Inuit Games and Songs, UbuWeb Ethnopoetics
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLMlkjnYe0U Video of Canadian Inuit throat singers]

[[Category:Inuit throat singing| ]]
[[Category:Throat singing]]