Tudjaat
Tudjaat was a vocal duo formed by teenaged cousins Madeleine Allakariallak and Phoebe Atagotaaluk in Nunavut (formerly Northwest Territories). Inspired by their elderly grandmothers to maintain the cultural integrity of an important, traditional vocal practice, Tudjaat introduced audiences worldwide to Katatjaq or Inuit traditional throat singing.
Allakariallak, from Resolute Bay, and Atagotaaluk, from Inukjuak, Nunavik, began singing together in Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet) where Madeleine attended residential school. Throughout the mid-1990s their work was instrumental in reconnecting many young Inuit to their culture by reclaiming and restoring throat songs, which had been suppressed by colonial policies and missionaries in northern Canada.
Tudjaat’s breakthrough occurred in 1997 when they released their self-titled EP. The album blended traditional throat singing with subtle contemporary arrangements, creating a new, timeless sound. One of the album’s tracks, “Kajusita (When My Ship Comes In),” written by Allakariallak, Jon Park-Wheeler, and Randall Prescott, describes the forced exile of their families from Northern Quebec to the High Arctic during the last century. The song serves as a moving tribute to all who suffered and died because of a tragic government decision made in the name of Canadian sovereignty.
“Kajusita” won Best Song at the 1997 American Indian Film Institute Awards, while Tudjaat’s Canadian legacy was cemented when they were nominated for a Juno Award for Best Music of Aboriginal Canada (1997). They went on to perform throughout Canada, the United States and Europe, encouraged by the support they received and in return inspiring the next generation of Inuit musicians and artists.
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Speak Up! is curated by David McLeod (member of the Pine Creek First Nation, MB), Indigenous programming consultant.