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- s o u n d s. f r o m. 7 0o. n o r t h -
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The Northern part of the Scandinavia/Kola peninsula has been the home of the Sami people for thousands of years. Traditional ways of life have included hunting, fishing, herding, gathering and farming. These days it is safe to assume that even the Sami involved in the originally nomadic reindeer herding, have a "Western" style home with normal amenities. Since the reindeers trek from winter to summer pastures (e.g. tundra to coastal areas where appliccable), the reindeer owners still spend many weeks per year away from their permanent home.
However, a large majority of all Sami do not have reindeer herding as a way of life. Many hold positions in the retail/service business or work in administrative sectors.
Many Sami who grew up outside the linguistic core areas (in Norway represented by e.g. the municipalities of Guovdageaidnu (Kautokeino) and Karasjohka (Karasjok)) do not speak Sami. Growing up as a Sami in a non-Sami area thirty years ago was not necessarily easy, and hence many parents did not pass on the Sami language to their childen. Today municipalities like Lakselv ("Salmon River") are tri-langual: Norwegian, Sami and Finnish. Other places even bi-langual status is met with fierce local resistance.
Our vocal yoik is our primary traditional means of expression. persons, places, moods and situations will be given their yoiks, describing their properities. To paraphrase Nils-Aslak Valkeapää, "a yoik is not about, it is".
Marit Hætta Øverli \'märit hetta 'Ïverli\ was born in the village of Masi on the Norwegian arctic tundra. Masi was nearly flooded during the Sixties due to a massive dam construction project imposed by the central government. The project was later downscaled, but nevertheless carried out, despite mass civil disobedience actions that put Sami rights on the Norwegian national agenda.
Marit Hætta Øverli has been performing since she was a little girl, and has performed throughout Europe.
Andreas Fliflet is of mixed Finnish and Norwegian descent, and has for the past six years been living in Hammerfest, the northernmost town in the World (this status being contested by Dikson, Siberia). He has been collaborating with Marit Hætta Øverli for five years, making and structuring sounds and making sure that most ensemble members make it to their flights. At other times he can be found waiting for the weather to clear sufficiently to allow the vehicle convoy to cross the Sennaland tundra road, Route E6.
Jienat TV appearances include CNN, FOX, NRK, SVT, YLE.
André Ferrari, Fredrik Gille and Mikael Nilsson are all established percussion artists in their own right, performing with ensembles like Northern Voices (The Thule Spirit) and Väsen; ensembles enjoying considerable respect on the folk/world scene.
This CD is released by ourselves.
jienat contact info:
Andreas Fliflet
Postboks 65
9615 Hammerfest
Norway
phone +47 90667889 or
+54 911 5174 0756
fax +47 7841 8849