JOIKU

JOIKU (YOIK in English, JUOIGO in German), an archaically crude singing technique unique in Russian Karelia and Lapland, consisting of a kind of melodic description, like an idée fixe or leitmotif, in which the melody is of more importance than the words. The descriptive verbal motif forms the nucleus of the yoik, while the remainder of the text can be improvised, often using nonsense syllables. Each Laplander has his identifying motif, which attempts to describe his personality or character. These...