“Web of Life” by SNOW RAVEN
Snow Raven is an indigenous Siberian musical artist. She was born in arctic Siberia in The Republic of Sakha – Yakutia, a village with a population of just 600. Her music and singing style is based on traditional Sakha culture, while blending modern electronic music sounds. She began her music career after graduating from University of Yakutsk where she studied economics. She learned to sing from her grandmother. Her music bridges ancient culture and tradition with modern day issues. Her song “Web of Life” speaks on human influence to the planet.
“Web of Life” features many styles of music. The song opens to the sound of drums before Snow Raven begins singing. The song also includes throat singing, and animal sounds. Snow Raven sings in multiple languages, beginning in english, then transitioning to her indigenous language before switching back to English. The song comments on the relationship between humans and our planet, explaining that humans are just one small thread within nature. In addition, she states that, “the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth.” Snow Raven continues to sing, explaining that how we treat nature in turn is how we treat ourselves. In the lyrics, she also sings a call to action, asking her audience to protect the planet. The lyrics were written by Chief Seattle and brought to life by Snow Raven.
The music video includes vivid forest fire scenes and closes with the statistic, “84% of forest fires and human cause” (OM). Snow Raven expresses her motivations in her music. By including this statistic, she hopes to express how human actions directly impact the planet, and most human actions have negative impacts.
Beyond music, Snow Raven is an activist advocating for climate change and the rights and lands of northern indigenous peoples. She has 263,000 followers on instagram where she posts both about her music and activism. Snow Raven also emphasizes the importance of maintaining a connection with one’s ancestors. She feels a sense of responsibility to represent and honor her ancestors explaining, “Through my voice I feel how the ancestors sing and through my body my ancestors dance” (Yuditskaya). She performs globally spreading her music and culture.
Citations:
Hopkins, DJ. “Web of Life: Move over Greta Thunberg - Enter ‘Snow Raven!’” Medium, The Riff, 13 Dec. 2023, medium.com/the-riff/web-of-life-move-over-greta-thunberg-enter-snow-raven-7e4efef5132a.
OM, Andreas. “Snow Raven – ‘Web of Life’ (Official Video).” YouTube, YouTube, 22 Apr. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzQ0VQfx8NM.
“Snow Raven – Olox – Gene Keys.” Gene Keys – Discover Your Higher Purpose, 25 Jan. 2023, genekeys.com/contributor/snow-raven/.
Snow Raven. “Indigenous Wisdom from Arctic Siberia: Animal Spirits, Shamanism & Healing Music | Snow Raven.” YouTube, YouTube, 31 Oct. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2j-T8KFk0Q
Yuditskaya, Sofy. “∞ Snow Raven ∞.” Creatrix Magazine, 7 Apr. 2023, creatrixmag.com/snow-raven/.