Mari Boine – Sami musician and ambassador
It is difficult to talk about the indigenous people of northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Russian Kola Peninsula without talking about the Sami musician and activist, Mari Boine. Born into a strict religious family, where speaking Sami and expressing oneself by traditional singing or joiking was considered “wrong”, Boine struggled with being assimilated as a Norwegian and being ashamed of her heritage. Fortunately, she later embraced her heritage and began combining her joiking with other Western styles like pop, jazz, and rock. She has become extremely popular among the Sami as well as loved by audiences around the world.
In her concerts, Boine talks about Sami culture and the struggles of indigenous peoples. Join us for this rare interview with Mari Boine, a behind-the-scenes look at who she is and what matters most to her. We also play a recording of a yoik from a man from Karasjok, Norway.
The photo in the episode logo is by Jan Sverre Samuelsen, used here under a CC 2.0 license.
Links
Harald Gaski’s thoughtful and excellent Sami Culture in a New Era essay is here with links to other information about Sami culture. Gaski is a professor at the University of the Arctic in Tromsø, Norway, and is Sami.
This informative article entitled Mari Boine, Sámi cultural ambassador, by Julia Andersen, was published in 2017 in the Norwegian American News. There are several other articles there about Mari also. Note: You may be asked subscribe to the NA to read further if you’ve already read your allotted free articles (3?).
This beautiful video posted by Mari on YouTube has shots of the arctic tundra and reindeer, is set to Mari’s 1989 recording of Gula Gula. Please see Mari’s website here for a full translation (also in Sami and Norwegian) . Scroll down until you see this section:
An “unplugged” or acapella version of Gula Gula, showing Mari, about 30 years after the song first came out, singing and using only a ceramic udu for percussion (2020). It’s hard hitting in its simplicity. Posted by Mari Boine on YouTube.
Vuoi Vuoi Me is another favorite of mine from Mari’s Idjagiedas album. In this Facebook post, Mari explains what Igjagiedas means.
Mari has many, many albums on Mari’s website that you can purchase and many videos online, including more interviews. You can also hear her music also on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, among others.
An article on the copper mine in Kvalsund, Norway on the Repparfjorden, describes the history of the protest and the intent of the mining company.
There are many Sami organizations and museums that are worth checking out, such as the Samien Sitje in Norway, Sajos in Finland, and in the USA there’s the Sami Cultural Center of North America, Pacific Sami Searvi, and SeattleSami.
Photos
