![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/120096875-968727160280526-321278996864780873-o_orig.jpg\")
<\/a>\u201cWe resonate with this kind of thing that doesn\u2019t seem like a natural thing that we\u2019d be doing, and when we think about what it means to be Inuit in 2022, there are many different ways to be Inuk in today\u2019s context,\u201d says Mackay. \u201cEven if we\u2019re going against the grain, and even if we\u2019re falling or floating in a way that people think we shouldn\u2019t be, in a way that people are used to seeing the snow go, it is still snow, and we are still Inuk.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ayalik says that the two women grew up throat singing, but it was only upon maturing that they were able to understand the greater cultural history and impact of the practice.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe grew up throat singing as children, it was a way for us to pass the time, it was a way for us to entertain ourselves when we were out camping for long periods of time and the batteries in our Walkman ran out, so it\u2019s a fun way for us to connect and have a sister bond time and make music, and we didn\u2019t really think of it as a big political thing and a big deal, it\u2019s just something that we always did,\u201d she says. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t until we were in our 20s that we really started to understand the place of throat singing in our history, in our family\u2019s history, and also culturally\u2026 We began to really see this in a new light and began to embrace it, not only as an art form for us that we\u2019re constantly evolving in and experimenting with, but also as a form of re-Indigenizing, and reclaiming a practice that was almost lost for Inuit communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mackay says that some of the challenges of this form of singing parallel many other forms: some are easy, and some require more practice. One way this diverges, however, is that throat singing as a duo is a dynamic and fluid practice, which can be unpredictable.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would say, like any kind of singing, some are really easy, and some are more operatic-level skill, and they just take a lot more practice, and everybody\u2019s timing and style is really different,\u201d says Mackay. \u201cIt helps when you know your partner well and can anticipate what they\u2019re going to do next, because there\u2019s a leader and a follower, and you only have a split second to respond, and they can change the song at a second\u2019s notice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Together the duo hopes that their music will create a sense of wonder within their audience.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think one of the cool things about our style is that it\u2019s lyricless, and we leave a lot of room for people to interpret as they will, so we perform improvisationally true to its original form, we add a lot of lyrical elements that are our own style, and it\u2019s kind of ethereal, it\u2019s a little bit otherworldly,\u201d says Mackay. \u201cWe like to leave people with wondering, and whatever they need, I hope that they take away.\u201d<\/p>\n