The Sami singing style (rhythmic patterns, melodies, voicing) is indeed old and archaic, but the joikus (~ yoiku, the song) themselves aren't necessarily that old at all. The 'lyrics' - very scarce, if there are any at all - might only be a couple of lines in length, because the singing mostly is 'impromptu lilting on syllables that are not used in ordinary language'. And notice that when a Lapp sings, s/he does not sing of, but uses the objective case in order to obtain ownership, ruling or deeper understanding of the issue (this feature can be found throughout the Finno-Ugric shamanistic singing tradition). Thus the singer would answer, if asked "what was that joiku about", e.g: "I sang my driving reindeer of tin plate (=skidoo)". AKS
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