Katarina Barruk

Elina Maria Katarina Barruk (born 1994) is a Swedish Sami singer, songwriter and pianist, who sings in the Ume Sami language, now spoken by less than a dozen native speakers.[1] She believes her songs will help to revitalize the language.[2] In September 2015, she released her first album, Báruos, and continues to perform in concerts inspired by traditional yoik music from the province of Västerbotten.[3][4]

Katarina Barruk in March 2019

Biography

Born on 5 December 1994 in Storuman,[1] Elina Maria Katarina Barruk has a mother who plays the piano and a father who yoiks. Since early childhood, she aspired to become a musician herself. As Ume Sami was spoken at home, she has also come to recognize the importance of helping the language to be used more widely. When she was 16, she moved to Umeå where she joined the music arts programme at Midgårdsskolan. There she formed a band with Elias Häreskog (bass), Mattias Nygren (percussion) and Emmy Westing (piano).[2]

It was for this reason that she wrote the songs for Báruos, her first album, in the Ume language. Working with the Norwegian yoiker Frode Fjellheim, she has developed tracks varying from yoik to indie pop and jazz.[1]

In addition to her involvement in music, Barruk works as a Sami teacher in Umeå and Storuman.[1] She also teaches at the Algguogåhtie Association which since 2009 has received substantial grants to support Ume Sami.[2]

In both 2016 and 2018, Barruk starred at Norway's Varanger Festival in Vadsø where she has many fans. Singing in Ume Sami, she explained that only two members of her generation spoke the language, she and her brother.[5] In January 2019, she sang in Ume Sami at UNESCO's launch of the International Year of Indigenous Languages.[6]

Awards

Katarina Barruk was honoured with the Young Artist of the Year award at the 2012 Riddu Riđđu Sami festival. The following year, she won the Youth Prize at Umeå's Sami Week.[2]

References
  1. Lindstrand, Åsa (4 July 2015). "Språkveiviseren Katarina" (in Norwegian). Samefolket. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  2. "Katarina Barruk revitalises Sami language". Umeå 2014. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  3. "Katarina Barruk" (in Norwegian). Ringve Musikkmuseum. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  4. "Katarina Barruk" (in Swedish). Ume Folk. Archived from the original on August 15, 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2020. Alt URL
  5. "Magiske Katarina trollbinder publikum på et språk nesten ingen andre forstår" (in Norwegian). NRK Sápmi. 11 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  6. "1Official Global Launch Eventof the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages" (PDF). UNESCO. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
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