Journal: JOIKING

What is a JOIK?

It's an expression of the spirit, somewhat like a chant. Most are about nature or specific people, and the Sami believe that spirits (the fairies) "give" them the joik so they may express it. Joiking was once outlawed as Scandinavia was becoming Christianized in an attempt to dispel traditional, pagan ways. Nowadays the Sami hold a competition called "The Grand Prix".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joik

JOURNALLING:

Can you decipher these Joiks? Find a quiet place or use headphones and listen. Jot down everything you think about as you hear these joiks - sort of in a stream of consciousness list.

Then write a a bit about language and emotion - in what ways is language "impoverished" when it comes to expressing emotion? Cold music be considered a language? What other things might transcend language, in that we wouldn't need to understand the words being said to understand the intention?

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Response:

Stream of consciousness list:

Joik 1 - subtle, simple, troubled, hardship, sorrow, tragic, smooth, painful

Joik 2 - beauty, tension, freedom, joy, fulfillment, appreciation, working hard, repetition, freedom

My mother speaks seven languages. I only speak one of the seven: English. When she is on the phone with her sister they are speaking a language I do not understand, but I do understand the emotion she displays. This shows how the language can be meaningless when emotions are displayed. After all, some emotions are universal like happiness and anger.

Music is a language for the reason that if you put ten musicians from ten different countries in the same room and told them to make some music, they would be able to do so. The musicians understand how to play the guitar regardless of their nationality. They would communicate with music to make music. Silent films with no subtitles transcend language since the specific genre completely excludes language. I feel like anything involving our five senses (taste, touch, smell, see, hear) transcend language because those senses are in human nature so we would understand the intention.