In August 2023, Hämäläinen defended her thesis ""I sound" - Yoik as embodied health knowledge" and received the degree Dr. philos in Health Sciences. She has a background in musicology, and got the idea for the thesis during his first lunch break at NAFKAM, back in 2014:
- Me and a couple of colleagues were talking loosely about research interests when the subject of Yoik came up. I became curious about possible connections between Yoik and health, and could not find any research on the topic, she recalls.
The seed had been sown, and Hämäläinen set about exploring whether research on this topic was even desirable. She was hopeful, but did not take it for granted that she would get participants for a study.
- I was unsure how it would be seen that a non-Sámi like me would try to gather knowledge about Yoik and health. The fact is, that I was very well received and there were a surprising number of people who wanted to share their experiences with me. I conducted interviews with a total of 25 people in two different preliminary projects in the years 2015 and 2017. Together with literature studies, these interviews laid the foundation for my thesis.
Can improve mood and help with self-regulation of emotions
The most important questions Hämäläinen wanted answered were:
"What does yoiking do to people, what makes someone Yoik? Is yoiking different from singing, or can they do the same thing in a caring situation?”
- The Yoik's health benefits are not new knowledge for the Sami, but during my work I received feedback such as "finally someone is asking these questions in a scientific context!"
Hämäläinen says that it is well-known from previous research that music can be beneficial to health and increase the quality of life, and that Yoik is considered to have the same properties and effects as other music.
- Some people get their first Yoik in their mother's womb, and carry it with them throughout their lives. Person-centred care is the ideal in modern healthcare, and family music has been shown to be the one that works to recreate memories, orientation and security, and alleviate aggression and agitation in people with dementia, for example.
She also points out that Yoik produces feelings about relationships and belonging, precisely because it is usually linked to and describes a person, animal, landscape or places.
- The Yoik can evoke something dear in the person who yoiks or listens to Yoik, and gives a sense of identity and belonging. It can also help with emotional life and contribute to self-regulation, such as calming a restless and stressed mind. The Yoik fulfills all the criteria for music that has been shown to work in dementia and other care, she says.
From the death penalty to the "Golden Row"
Through the ages there have been strong opinions and feelings about Yoik. Missionaries in the 18th century described that in order to preserve their health and happiness, the Sami must yoik constantly, but the Yoik has also been described as "the work of the devil" by representatives of the Church, Hämäläinen says.
- In the 17th century, Yoik was seen as the practice of sorcery by the Church and the penalty for it was death. Although it is a long time since death penalty was abolished, the Yoik in our lifetime is not free of conflicts either. Even when I spoke to participants in 2017, some could tell of having heard the Yoik referred to as the "work of the devil".
She says that some Sámi gave up Yoik because of this, but when old age comes it may be that they lift the self-imposed restrictions and rediscover the joy they previously had in Yoik.
- The view of Yoik and Sami is fortunately changing, and I noticed a recognizable development also during the years I worked on my thesis. Yoik was included as a genres in the TV contest "Stjernekamp", and today there are Sami versions of the youth "BlimE!" songs on Norwegian TV channels. I think it's so interesting, she says.
Even Yoik on Spotify can improve the quality of life
Hämäläinen hopes that knowledge about the Sami and other minorities can be included in health education at the national level.
- Sami and other "Norwegianized" minorities live throughout the country. It is not to be expected that healthcare personnel will immediately start yoiking for cultural sensitivity reasons. But it helps to have a little knowledge; complicated measures are not necessarily needed, she says.
She says that health personnel and relatives of people with dementia of Sami background have come up with concrete proposals. Those who cannot yoik themselves, can play Yoik from a CD or internet sources like Spotify. Then they can observe how the care center's residents respond to it.
- It's even better if you can learn some Yoik melodies yourself and, for example, just hum them while you work. I understand that it can be challenging to introduce new measures in an already demanding job, but you can start very simply to see if it improves the day of someone who has a relationship with Yoik, she says.
Read more:
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Hämäläinens' thesis: "I sound" - yoik as embodied health knowledge
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NAFKAMs fact sheet on Sami Folk Medicine (Norwegian only)
- Kristoffersen, A.E., Stub, T., Melhus, M. et al. Prevalence and associations for use of a traditional medicine provider in the SAMINOR 1 Survey: a population-based study on Health and Living Conditions in Regions with Sami and Norwegian Populations. BMC Complement Altern Med 17, 530 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-017-2037-0
