The Power of Yoik

Yoiking is the trancelike chanting style of the Sami people, and was a powerful tool for the shamans to reach the spirit world. When Lapland was colonized, the invaders forbade the yolk. and many Shamans were burned as witches. Young Sami woman Inga Gaup-Juuso belongs to a family that have been reindeer nomads for hundreds of years, using the animal for transport, food, and shelter. Without the reindeer it would not be possible to survive in these barren deserts of ice and snow. When the family reindeer herd is struck by starvation, Inga decides to test the power of Yoik. (Anchorage International Film Festival)