The Wonderful Ainu

Two Ainu women performing "Rehbuhkara"
14 x 11 inches, oil and acrylic on canvas, 2018

Rehbuhkara is a vocal style closely related to the Chukchi pic-eine'rkin and the Inuit katajjaq typically performed by two women. The three vocal styles form the backbone of a new issue of Ach Ja. It is the tenth issue and the second titled The Origin of Music. Katajjait are performed in the north of America and in Greenland, an area of land that is supposedly isolated from the old world at the end of the last ice age 14,000 years ago. The vocal styles of all three (ethnically related) peoples form yet more striking evidence that there must have been contact between the new and old world. Either that or these styles were already practiced before the separation of Chukchi, Ainu, and Inuit, in which case the traditional singing styles are older than 14,000 years. The Ainu, considered the indigenous people of Japan, live on Japan's northernmost large island Hokkaido. The island is connected to the Kamchatka chain running to Kamchatka in Russia. From Kamchatka run the Aleut island chain all the way to Alaska. The Ainu use their hands as a resonance chamber. The Inuit, as lore has it, use to sing so close together that each others mouths serve as resonance chambers. The source image from the painting is a still from a video uploaded by ainuworld. 

 Ach Ja! #10: The Origin of Music (2) is a zine published in an edition of 25. 8.5 x 5.5 inches, 16 p. It comes with a CD featuring 32 tracks from my collection (I don't own the rights to any of them) and can be purchased for $15 + shipping. Just shoot me an email.

Track listing

1. Inuit:  Katajjait with geese cries (Canada)                 2:45
2. Inuit: Katajjait on "Hamma" (Canada)        `        1:29
3. Inuit: Assalalaa (Canada)                        0:38
4. Inuit: Qiarpa (Canada)                        3:34
5. Annie Kappianaq / Jeanne Arnainuk – Vocal And Throat-Games "Pirkusirartup" Huangaahaaq (Inuit, Canada)                0:41
6. Ainu: Rekuhkara, throat singing (Japan)                0:27
7. Kiyo Kurokawa, Teru Nishizama – Horippa (Ainu, Japan)        2:23
8. Utekn, Yuimuk – Women's Wu-unka songs (Aborigine, Australia)             2:04
9. Kiighwyaq, Sivugun und Nunana – Pic-eine’rkin: Ay-ay-amamay (Cukchi, Russia)         1:59
10. Anna Dimitrievna Neostroeva – Throat Song                0:52
11. Nowaylethi Mbizwenti And Nofirst Mbizweni – Duet With 'ordinary' Umngqokol    (Xhosa, South Afrca)                    1:39
12. Antonia Vasil'evna Skalygina – Alterateur de voix Kal'ni (Even, Rus.)    1:02
13. Mergen Mongush – Alash (Tuva)                    1:14
14. The 1898 Torres Strait Recordings: Death Wail (Aborigine, Australia)    2:12
15. Papua New Guinea: Wame Igini Kamu                 1:43
16. Shipobo Song (Shipobo, Peru)                    2:09
17. Ashaninka Songs (Ashaninka, Peru)                    1:15
18. Ulahi and Eyo:bo Sing with Afternoon Cicadas (Bosavi, Papua New Guinea)             2:47
19. Ulahi Sings While Making Sago (Bosavi, Papua New Guinea)    1:26
20. Ana Caraballo & Asuncion Caraballo – Canto Para Pilar Maiz (Venezuela)                 0:54
21. Gumbojav – Running Horse (Tuva)                    0:36
22. Deux Femmes Ngozi – Ubuhuha (Ngozi, Burundi)            2:00
23. Pako Tà Ôi peoples – Duo A'Reng (Pako Tà Ôi, Vietnam)        1:02
24. Pako Tà Ôi peoples – A'bel (Pako Tà Ôi, Vietnam)            2:16
25. Te Bow with Two Women's Voices (San, Namibia)            3:03
26. Princess Constance Magogo KaDinuzulu – Helele! Yiliphi leliyani? (Zulu, South Africa)  3:31
27. The Indians of the Gran Chaco – Instrumental, strings (Argentina)    0:57
28. Avdo Mededovic – Bosnjacke Gusle (Montenegro)            1:23
29. Tin Can Bow Solo (San, Namibia)                    1:44
30. Marija Nikoforovna Ceculina – Chant et Jajar (Koryak, Russia)    0:57
31. Chukchi Shamanic Ritual (Chukchi, Russia)                3:57
32. Kittoro (Roro, Papua, Indonesia)                    1:20