Yoik in the Sami Parliament

Did you know that the Sami Parliament has its own yoik? When the Sami Parliament convenes for a plenary meeting, the Sami Parliament representatives are called in with the Sami Parliament's yoik. Ánte Mihkkal Gaup made this yoik for the Sami Parliament's very first opening in 1989. The yoik addresses the important and honorable role that the elected politicians will play in their duties. In its lyrics, this yoik includes a statement in Northern Sámi that "now you will find your way in both darkness and storm, follow the paths trodden by our ancestors, and in step with nature set out new paths for us". Can you hear any of that here? YOIK AUDIOTRACK (0:54 sec) - BREAK IN READING Yoik is a traditional Sami form of music and is considered one of the oldest vocal traditions in Europe. Instead of saying that you yoik about someone or something, we say that we yoik an object, such as a person, an animal or a landscape. You have just heard Ánte Mihkkal Gaup yoik the Sami Parliament.