Women’s Voices: Katajjaq (Inuit Throat Singing Tradition)

 

Culture is a created way of knowing, understanding, and believing about the social world(s) we live in.  There are (very conservatively) thousands of cultures around the world, and while there are definitely several similarities among cultural groups there are aspects that can and do make cultures unique.  One aspect that comes to mind is throat singing, which is a type of musical performance often a single pitch with various harmonics.  Throat singing is found in various cultures, but today’s blog post will focus on one specific culture and its throat singing practices: the Inuit’s Katajjaq tradition.

 

The Inuit are cultural group that exists throughout the Artic, including in modern day Canada, Alaska, and Greenland.  They have existed in this region for thousands of years, adapting their cultural ways to thriving in this year round cold climate.  Their means of subsistence is foraging (also known as hunting and gathering), which is largely the pursuit of Inuit men.  Women, however, do contribute to the hunting parties, though.  They do this through the practice of the Katajjaq tradition.

 

Katajjaq is considered a vocal game among the Inuit, and it is an important oral tradition.  It is unclear how long the Inuit have practiced Katajjaq, in part because the Inuit do not have a written record and much of their cultural knowledge was lost and destroyed due to colonization.  Despite these interruptions the Inuit continue to practice Katajjaq today.

 

Katajjaq is traditionally sung by women (Figure 1), but due to changing cultural values men are practicing it, as well.  Katajjaq entails two women (although sometimes up to four or five) who sing together.  The women face each other, gasping each other by the elbows or shoulders, and they make and lock eye contact.  One woman will lead by beginning to sing, and the other woman/women will imitate the tone, melodies, and rhythms sung by the lead.  The purpose of this game is believed to bring luck to the men hunting, ensuring they have a successful hunt.  This conclusion was reached because of the sounds the women make during the Katajjaq.  Their sounds are meant to mimic the sounds of nature, be it the howls of dogs, the breaking of ice, the soaring birds, etc.  This oral tradition, however, holds an additional purpose in that it is a type of storytelling wherein the singers pass on cultural knowledge and stories to the listeners. 

 

The Katajjaq is a carefree competitive but cooperative game wherein there is a winner and a loser, although there are very few consequences for the loser.  The game is lost when one of the women can no longer continue singing.  This may be because she ran out of breath or could not think of more sounds to make.  The loser indicates their loss by breaking into laughter, demonstrating the light hearted nature of the game. 

 

Despite the Katajjaq being prohibited when Christian missionaries began interacting with the Inuit this is a cultural tradition that continues on to this day.  Various Inuit musicians have been important in reviving and carrying on this tradition, as well as bringing it to the attention of outsiders.  As noted previously, traditionally the Katajjaq was a woman’s oral tradition, but Inuit men have adopted the practice, as well, as a means of cultural preservation and of sharing their cultural traditions with others.  As these musicians continue their work hopefully the tradition will not only continue but be a means of preserving and enriching Inuit culture.

 

Works Cited

D'Souza, Fred. "From Vocal Game to Protest Song: The Complexities of Katajjaq." SOAS Undergraduate Research Journal (2021): 53-61. Print.

Singh, Raj. HE PRACTICE AND PERFORMANCE OF KATAJJAQ: CULTURE, IDENTITY AND RESISTANCE. Dissertation. Toronto: York University, 2022. Print.

Stévance, Sophie. "Analysis of the Inuit Katajjaq in Popular Culture: The Canadian Throat-Singer Superstar Tanya Tagaq." ITAMAR. REVISTA DE INVESTIGACIÓN MUSICAL: TERRITORIOS PARA EL ARTE (2010): 82-90. Print.

 

The Great Garamantes Empire of Libya

Figure 1: Remnants of Garama, the capital city of the Garamantes Empire

 

You may have heard of the Saraha Desert.  It is the desert that exists in northern Africa, stretching from coast to coast on the continent.  It has been home to various great civilizations, including the ancient Egyptians and Nubians, but it was also where another great civilization existed: the Garamantes Empire, which is considered one of Libya’s first empires.  This blog post is dedicated to discussing what is currently known about these people based on the study of the empire’s capital city: Garama.

 

The capital city of the Garamantes empire is Garama, which is beneath and adjacent to the modern day Libyan city of Germa.  Human occupation of the region existed for hundreds of years before this capital city was established in 500 BC, which is a period marked by dramatically changing climatic conditions.  The region, which previously had plentiful water resources, was rapidly changing, leading to the hyper-arid environment that the region is known for today.  For unknown reasons the Garamantes remained in this area, perhaps because of the long history of occupation, and they made the best of the conditions.  They were successfully able to do so based on creative technological advancements that came, in part, from mimicking those of neighboring civilizations.  The Garamantes constructed a complex system of underground irrigation canals known as foggaras.  These intricate canals spanned hundreds of miles throughout the desert and region, and they were dug and constructed anywhere from 30 to hundreds of feet below the Earth’s surface.  These foggaras brought water resources to the city and throughout the neighboring countryside, enabling the Garamantes to maintain a plentiful agriculture.  They grew and harvested dates, grapes, olives, figs, sorghum, millet, barley and wheat, while also raising cattle, sheep, and pigs.

 

The Garamantes were able to sustain a large population for their capital city (Figure 1).  It is estimated that 4000 people lived within the urban center, while another 6000 lived in suburban residences outside the main city.  The city was constructed in large part with ashlar stonework, which was used to create various large structures such as temples, entertainment centers, public plazas, and homes for the royals and elites.  Inexpensive mudbrick structures were also built, but these were for lower class residences. 

 

The Garamantes empire was maintained through various trade networks and a fierce military.  The Garamantes controlled all of the trade in the region, acting as intermediaries for trade between the ancient Greeks and Romans and most of Africa.  They also manufactured and traded their own goods that they traded with foreign people.  Their most lucrative trade item, however, was enslaved human labor.  It is believed that the majority of the slaves were foreigners captured through the Garamantes military conquests.  Various early historians, including the famous Greek historian Herodotus, chronicled their military exploits, which characterized them as a formidable foe.  The ancient Romans stated the same, which is supported by the failure of the Roman military to best the Garamante military.  The Garamante recorded their own histories through written records and cave art.  Collectively, we know that the Garamantes were knowledgeable horse riders who used various chariots in battle.  They wore little to no armor but utilized javelins and shields in combat.

 

The Garamantes empire fell after 1000 years.  It is unclear what specifically led to the empire’s collapse, although it is assumed that they were unable to maintain their population in the face of continued changing climatic conditions.  Ultimately, the king was captured around A.D. 668 and the empire fell.  The people continued on in the region, building a new town (Germa) and maintaining elements of their previous social lives in the future incarnations that continue to exist to this day.

 

Bibliography

Brooks, N. (2002). The Fezzan Project: Geoarchaeology of the Sahara. Retrieved from The Fezzan Project: Geoarchaeology of the Sahara: https://web.archive.org/web/20060207154954/http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/~e118/Fezzan/fezzan_home.html

Milligan, M. (2021, May 17). Germa – Capital of the Saharan Kingdom of the Sands. Heritage Daily, p. 1.

Temehu.com. (2023). Germa. Retrieved from Temehu: https://www.temehu.com/Cities_sites/germa.htm

World Archaeology. (2005, January 7). Garama: an ancient civilisation in the Central Sahara. World Archaeology, p. 1.

 

Applied Anthropology: Forensic Linguistics

There has been and continues to be a great interest in forensics, which is the use and application of a field within criminal justice contexts and investigations.  There are various areas of anthropology that can and have been applied to forensics and previously discussed on this blog (e.g., forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology).  Today the topic of forensic linguistics will be addressed.

 

Linguistics is the study of language, which broadly examines language structure, history, social contexts, and more.  Linguistics is a stand alone discipline that draws upon various other fields, including neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, sociology, computer science, and anthropology.  The topic of linguistic anthropology has been discussed several times throughout this blog, and all of those areas of anthropological study are applicable to forensic linguistics.

 

Forensic linguistics, which is also called forensic stylistics, is the application of linguistic methods to analyzing oral or written communications to assist in criminal investigations.  They focus on descriptive linguistic analysis, specifically studying dialect, grammar, morphology, phonetics, meaning, sociolinguistics, and more to understand authenticity of documents and determine if the interpretation of the material is accurate.  Forensic linguists study various types of written and oral communications, including but not limited to suicide notes, confessions, witness statements, ransom letters, phone call transcripts, courtroom transcripts, emails, text messages, social media posts, police interview transcripts, etc.  They analyze these materials to learn as much as they can about the writer or speaker, gauging authenticity of the threat or statements (e.g., who authored the suicide note? How credible is the threat of criminal action?) as well as the identity of the speaker or writer.  By analyzing speech patterns, including but not limited to grammar, word choice, sounds, and more, the forensic linguist can gain insights into communicator’s region of origins, educational level, writing skills, grasp on the language (as in are they a native speaker or are they speaking as someone who learned the language), specialized knowledge, and occupation.

 

Forensic linguists most often work as independent consultants.  They are contracted to work directly with law enforcement agencies in the analysis of evidence.  They can also be employed by lawyers and court administrators during the trial or for post-trial work, specifically in assisting with punishment(s).  Exceptional forensic linguists who are willing to put in the extra work are employed by specialized government agencies, such as the FBI or CIA.

 

Works Cited

Ashraf, S. "What Is Forensic Linguistics?" 25 May 2023. Language Humanities. Electronic. 2023 8 June.

Fobbe, Eilika. "Forensic Linguistics-Challenges and Opportunities." SIAK-Journal International Edition (2014): 62-73. Print.

Hofstra University. "Linguistics: Forensic Linguistics." n.d. Hofstra University. Electronic. 8 June 2023.

PennWest. "Forensic Linguistics Careers, Jobs and Salaries." 2022. PennWest California. Electronic. 9 June 2023.

 

 

Don’t Call Them Basic: A Review of Strepsirrhini Primates

Figure 1: Various Strepsirrihini species

 

 

Strepsirrhini.  A word that you may not be familiar with, although you may already know of or seen the primates that make this suborder.  They include all species of lemurs, lorises, and galagos (Figure 1).  They are found in a very small section of the world, specifically on the island of Madagascar, small pockets of Africa, and throughout southern and eastern Asia.  They are also incredibly unique primates, which is what will be discussed in today’s blog post.

 

Strepsirrhini species are classified as being primitive primates.  This refers to the fact that they most resemble ancestral primates, not that they are simple (or basic, in the colloquial sense), unintelligent, or incapable.  It could be argued that they are anything but because they have not evolved (changed) much over time and manage to survive to this day.

 

While there is a great deal of diversity in the types of species that make up the Strepsirrhini suborder there are some specific morphological features that all species have in common.  They are often compared appearance wise to various types of rodent species, which is reflected in their body sizes and shapes.  Overall, they are small bodied.  Also, they have the smallest brain to overall body size ratio, meaning their brains are not very big.  They all have small and moist noses, prominent pointed ears, and very large eyes that lack of a postorbital bar.  They also tend to have very long tails (again, relative to body size).  A tapetum lucidum is present within their eyes.  This is tissue at the back of the eye that causes the eye to have a reflective quality when light shines into it, which you can more easily see at night.  They also retain a dental comb, which are protruding lower incisors and canines.  The dental comb is used to aid in self grooming and grooming of others.  While their hands maintain generalized primate characteristics (i.e., they have prehensile, grasping, hands and opposable thumbs), they use their hands in pairs, not one at a time like other primates.  Their hind legs are longer than their forearms.  They also have a grooming claw, which is just as it sounds like-a long claw on one of their toes that serves the purpose of brushing their fur or the fur of others.  The remainder of their fingers and toes have nails, which is a generalized primate characteristic. 

 

Behaviorally, there remains some diversity.  Lemurs tend to be diurnal, meaning they are active during the day, whereas lorises and galagos are nocturnal, active at night.  All strepsirrhini species are arboreal, meaning they live in the trees.  They also share similar locomotive patterns, which are typically vertical leaping and clinging.  This is an adaptive feature of their arboreal lifestyle.

 

Strepsirrhini species are unique compared to other primate species, which are classified as haplorhini species, but a discussion on these primates will come in a future post.  Again, these species have not seen a need to evolve over time despite various changes over time, but they are facing serious threats due to human interventions.  Because of popular culture attitudes they are at great risk of extinction, and it is important to save these species for various reasons.  Without them ecosystems risk collapse and we lose out on fully understanding our own (human and primate) evolution.

 

References

Fleagle, John G. Priamte Adaptation and Evolution. San Diego: Elsevier, 1999. Print.

Haviland, William, Gary Crawford and Shirley Fedorak. Human Evolution and Prehistory. Toronto: Thomson-Nelson, 2005. Print.

Welsch, Robert L., Luis A. Vivanco and Agustin Fuentes. Anthropology: Asking Questions About Human Origins, Diversity, and Culture. New York: Oxford University Press, 2020. Paper.