Many countries, many voices

They gathered in a circle by the Saami lavvu tent and listened to a joik, the Saami traditional song, picking up its tune and then joining in with it.

These 30 youth from Russia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Greenland and Canada were participants in this year’s Arctic Youth Camp, which was held at the same time as the annual Riddu Riddu music festival in northern Norway.

Sometimes the only way they could communicate with each other was through songs, but by the end of the week-long camp, many of the group, which included Canadian Inuit, Greenlanders, Chuckchi, Itelmen, Koryaks, Buryat, Evenki and Saami, had become close friends.

During the camp’s five days, the youth participated in workshops, exchanging information on their traditional singing and dancing.

“In 1999, we had our first Arctic Youth Camp,” said Saami organizer Lena Gaup. “It grew out of a Joik seminar. We had many international participants and youth, so we had the idea to hold a youth camp. It’s now an activity of the Sami Youth Organization.”

The AYC youth were as varied as their countries of origin, Arnannguaq, originally from Greenland, now lives in northern Norway. Levi, from Greenland, has one Greenlandic parent and one Norwegian parent.

Lena, a Saami from Norway, spent a year in Greenland. The Russians represented six small peoples of the North.

Many of these youth, aged 18 to 30, were also performers in the Riddu Riddu festival. Those from Kamchatka belong to the Mengo dance troupe. Maaki Putulik and Laina Grey from Nunavik throat-sang during Riddu Riddu.

With no common language, youth still managed to mount performances that showcased their talents. The AYC performance, always one of the highlights of the Riddu Riddu festival, opened with a Saami joik and ended with Nunavik’s popular “ay-ya-ya,” song, composed by William Tagoona.

“What’s your name again?” was a common question as AYC members discussed how to choreograph the hour-long performance.

As a demonstration of their unity, some AYC participants exchanged traditional clothing for the performance.

Before the end of the camp, e-mail addresses were also traded, and many participants were already looking forward to meeting again next summer.

When the Russian group left early in the morning, several woke up to say goodbye to their new friends and wish them a safe trip home.

“I think it’s great,” said Erina, a Buryak who now lives in Moscow, and who doubled as a translator for the Russian participants. “I hope to be back next year.”