Mati Yoik
Mati
lives on the island of Mohni with his partner Lara, they are the only
inhabitants. While I was on the island I took several walks through the
forest. There was a certain tree that made a specific, almost human set
of sounds whenever I was in its vicinity. As part of The Mohni Experiment
I had been drinking a prescribed concoction, drawing and engaging in ritual.
At night, when I dreamed it included Mati and the tree, in my dream it
asked me to pass a message on to him. The next day I went to the forest
and recorded the tree with a very sensitive microphone. I wrote a letter
to Mati and had one of the group translate it into Estonian, it explained
my dream and the anthropomorphic sound found deep within the tree. I described
it as a song.
Mati listened to the sound on an MP3 player until it was complete, this
surprised me as I thought that he would find this rather abstract sound
a bit ridiculous. When he had finished listening he said that he knew
the tree and thanked me for bringing the song to him. After I had left
the island I found out two interesting pieces of information. I received
an email from Krista Loorits (an artist from The Estonian Academy and
participant of the experiment) informing me that this type of song is
known as a 'Yoik'. Also, according to Estonian folklore, when a person
dies their spirit may enter into a tree. During traditional funeral processions
the coffin is often stopped in front of a marked tree and is given enough
time for transmigration.
Each yoik is meant to reflect a person or place. This does not mean that it is a song about the person or place, but that the yoiker is attempting to transfer "the essence" of that person or place into song - one yoiks their friend, not about their friend. It usually has short lyrics or no lyrics at all. This type of song can be deeply personal or spiritual in nature. Source Wikipedia.
Listen
to the recording ( six minutes - best with headphones)
Mati, one half of
the population of Mohni island.
