Sámi Rap Festival Brings Joy to Arctic Village

In the Finnish village of Utsjoki, north of the Arctic Circle, the midnight sun still shone brightly as Mihkku Laiti, known by his stage name “Yungmiqu,” took the stage at an open-air music festival. The event, Loktafeasta, is a rap festival founded by Laiti, who is a member of the Sámi, Europe’s only recognized Indigenous people. The festival brought together over 300 people, some of whom sang along and danced to the music, which was performed in both the Sámi language and Finnish.

Laiti first gained fame on the television show Talent Finland, where he surprised the judges by rapping in the gákti, the traditional dress of the Sámi. The festival aimed to highlight the Indigenous culture of the Sámi, though some fans could not understand the lyrics. Despite this, the atmosphere was lively, with attendees enjoying beer, sausages, and the summer festival vibe, even amidst spells of rain.

Laiti’s music is a reflection of his culture and a means to challenge stereotypes about the Sámi people. He aims to normalize the basic aspects of Sámi life and avoid romanticizing their traditions. Laiti has also chosen not to wear the gákti for performances for about a year, emphasizing that it is possible to be Sámi and wear whatever one wants.

The Sámi people traditionally live in Lapland, which spans from northern parts of Norway to Sweden and Finland to Russia. However, the majority of the roughly 10,000 Sámi people living in Finland now reside outside their homeland. Historically, the Sámi people were oppressed by the powers that ruled and exploited their lands, including bans on the use of their native tongues and efforts to suppress their culture. In recent decades, there have been efforts to reestablish their rights, including the right to use Sámi languages, which is now guaranteed in the Finnish constitution.

Today, the Sámi people have modern lifestyles, with those who still tend reindeer doing so with modern vehicles, digital tools, and regulated land use. The festival also highlighted the effort to preserve the Sámi’s cultural identity, with distinctive Sámi clothing worn by many attendees, as is typical on special occasions.

At the festival, Laiti’s primary goal was to bring joy and happiness to his fans. Among the other acts was a duo comprised of Jaakko Laitinen, a self-confessed old school tango crooner, and rapper Jouni J. They performed in Finnish and saw a connection between hip hop and traditional Finnish folk poetry, emphasizing the universal language of music that brings people together.

Although the duo’s songs were a world away from the birthplace of rap music in the Bronx, their performance brought joy to Utsjoki’s locals and visitors. The festival showcased the unique blend of traditional Sámi culture and modern music, highlighting the resilience and adaptability of the Sámi people in the face of historical oppression and cultural suppression.