With a style inspired by haunting northern beauty, sisters Inuksuk Mackay and Tiffany Ayalik are Inuit throat singers from Arctic Canada who blend their ancient traditional form with contemporary technology to create haunting soundscapes and improvisational compositions that change with every show.
With roots in Nunavut’s Kitikmeot and Kivalliq Regions, the sisters grew up in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, where they learned and practiced katajjaq (Inuit style throat singing) – a meaningful cultural expression that almost disappeared by the 1960s due to colonization practices of the government and the church. In its revival, the sisters see their work not only as music, but as a form of political protest. Listeners are sure to be enthralled with this very rare cultural performance.
With post-show talk back.
Photo Credit – Inuksuk Mackay
Thank you to Mouat’s Old Salty for sponsoring this performance.