Tanya Tagaq: Tongues
Tanya Tagaq is an Inuk throat singer and songwriter from Iqaluktuuttiaq, Nunavut, Canada, on the south coast of Victoria Island. She modernizes and redefines the Inuit katajjait, a traditional form of throat singing involving two women standing face to face until one makes a mistake or can no longer keep up. Though usually performed with two, Tagaq revolutionizes katajjait by performing alone, acting as her own partner. She strays from the norm, mixing the traditional and contemporary in order to create her own unique sound. Her music spans a variety of genres, but is often described in genres such as folk, indie, electronica, metal, and punk. She uses her platform and her music to raise awareness for indigenous issues. In particular she works to defend indigenous land rights and customs in Canada as well as combatting the residential school .
TONGUES
Album: Tongues
Song: Tongues
Released: March 11, 2022
Artist: Tanya Tagaq
In Tagaq’s 2022 album Tongues, she is her own duet partner, using throat singing as well as spoken English. She blends traditional sound and instruments with more modern production. Throughout the album, she addresses indigenous issues, such as the Canadian residential schools that as a teenager she was subjected to. She repeatedly condemns colonialism, holding the complicit accountable and communicates her own strength, ready to stand up for herself and others.
Throughout the album, Tagaq sings and speaks with a sense of strength and justice – her anger can create a sense of fear or awe in listeners, but it is righteous and empowering. Her voice pulled at me with a range of emotions: sorrow, anger, defiance. Her voice was powerful and captivating, and despite performing katajjait alone, she was capable of communicating so many strong feelings to her audience. Her throat singing was guttural, forming hypnotic rhythms that entranced me.
While I was generally unfamiliar with katajjait, I was captivated by Tagaq’s performance throughout the album, particularly in the title track, “Tongues”. The song opened with high, sharp notes, creating a sense of anticipation and setting a serious tone. She begins with guttural throat singing, followed by spoken English. The song was chilling, combining ominous, powerful music with throat singing and spoken-word pronouncements.
I was struck by the stark contrast between Tagaq’s phrases in English versus her native language. She is defiant in English, claiming her power and refusing to back down: “You can’t take our tongues. You can’t take our blood”. She directly addresses colonizers and those complicit in colonialism, refusing to be a victim. Her anger and defiance is evident. Following that, she sings “Inuuvunga/Tukisivunga” – I am an Inuk; I understand, embracing her identity and effectively creating a sense of unity. Tagaq creates a chilling and powerful song that exudes raw strength and power, representing defiance in the face of centuries of mistreatment and oppression.
One of the things that stood out to me as I listened to “Tongues” is how Tagaq speaks the lyrics instead of singing them. It caught me off guard, yet gave much more power and force to her message. Additionally, I like how she intertwined her proclamation that her language could not be stolen with Inuk words, pushing her argument against colonization. Her song is similar to the one I reflected on (Arctic Hallows) because they both use music to resist the forces that seek to eliminate their culture and identity. Another similarity is that they blend traditional music elements from their respective cultures with modernity. For example, Tagaq takes a musical approach that generally involves two people, but does it with just herself. I wonder how other Inuk people regard this adaptation of throat singing, and if they oppose Tagaq’s transformation of something so culturally important.
SOURCES: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/may/23/seal-hunting-throat-singing-and-fighting-fair-the-power-and-purpose-of-tanya-tagaq
https://sites.tufts.edu/redefiningmodernityatlilly/canada/tanya-tagaq/
Link to listen (same as YouTube above): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khrcljOQZko