Two voices face to face

For the adult reading along

A little more to discover

The Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada, created with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, describes throat singing, katajjaq in Inuktut, as a traditional competitive game, usually between two women standing face to face. Their voices overlap in short repeated patterns, often imitating geese, caribou or other sounds, until one runs out of breath, stumbles or starts to laugh. The word katajjaq is used in some regions; elsewhere, Inuit vocal games have other names.

Christian missionaries once banned these games, and a revival began in the 1980s among Elders and youth. In ITK’s magazine, an Inuk performer from Iqaluit writes that throat singing and drum songs helped her learn more Inuktitut and strengthen her identity. Listen to Inuit performers with your child rather than imitating the technique.