Alright so friend of the Fort Lloyd Eugene Winter IV suggested I add this here – and I have an audio file to accompany this post so let’s roll with it.

A couple weeks ago the Oregon Humanities were nice enough to publish a few of my words on their blog about an experience I had listening to an Inuit man speak to me in his native Yup’ik language. I’ll just quote a couple descriptive parts here, and link to the article later if you want to catch it.

“His English was broken, spoken in the most soulful voice I’ve ever heard. He revealed to me that he was a Yup’ik Inuit. The word Yup’ik came out of his mouth with a startling glottal stop I had only previously heard in Cockney accents. The ‘k’ at the end of the word was spoken so sharply from the middle of his throat that it made an echo.

The only way to describe this tongue is to say it sounds both like a song and an interruption at the same time. It is filled with consonants strung together in meaty phrases and originates deep within the throat and chest. His soulful vocal lilt surrounded the language in a way that still has me spellbound. I had never been so perplexed by a human sound.”

Full article

Anyhow, this is what I was talking about.

Check these out:

AUDIO FILE: Ayagnera Marualrianek

AUDIO FILE: Ayagnera Cayuurlakunguur

At first you will hear ambient Arctic sounds before the speaking commences, they’re both short and sweet, little 30 second gems.

These sound bytes are part of an album that was a gift from the great Ryan Schowen of Alaska. He was so funny to say when he gifted it to me “I’d love to say that these are my people… but not so much.” Ryan is a white boy. Clearly with the soul of an Inuit, however. Next life, maybe?

Album: Pamuya Drums of the North