Inuit Throat Singing: Lydia Etok & Nina Segalowitz
Image courtesy of the artist
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Inuit Throat Singing: Lydia Etok & Nina Segalowitz
Celebrate the Arctic and all those who call it home on International Inuit Day with a throat singing performance by Nina Segalowitz and Lydia Etok.
Throat singing is a vocal game often played by women in the North, consisting of a joyful and competitive duet of who can outlast the other, with the goal being to get the other performer to laugh, fall out of rhythm, or lose their breath.
In the purest tradition of Inuit culture, Nina Segalowitz (Inuvialuit and Dìne) has given regal performances of throat singing for more than 20 years. Throat singing has been practised by the Inuit for thousands of years, and their interpretations are Inuit women’s prized moments of leisure and entertainment. Nina has performed in many countries (France, England, Belgium, Italy, USA) with many groups and singers like with Ariane Moffat or The Symphony Orchestra of Montreal. She has been actively involved in Oktoecho projects since 2010.
Nina sits on the Board of Directors for the Legacy or Hope Foundation and is presently the Wellness Coordinator for the Southern Quebec Inuit Association located in Montreal, Quebec
Lydia Etok is a throat singer of Inuit origin who grew up in a small village of Kangiqsualujjuaq located on the shores of northeastern Nunavik in Quebec, Canada. Lydia started learning the unique art of throat singing, mainly performed by women, in a leisurely manner with friends back in her college days. A leisurely activity imitating sounds of nature soon became a way for Lydia to share her cultural background as interests grew in the desire to learn Inuit cultural practices. First giving presentations about the Inuit culture in the local schools in and around Montreal, where she has since moved to, Lydia has travelled to several places in Canada, the United States as well as abroad (Kenya, Venezuela, France, Italy, Chile, Colombia). Although the art of throat singing nearly faded as Inuit faced changes in their way of life, the art form remains alive and well shared amongst young and old in the Inuit communities today.
