Katarina Barruk[SE]

Raised in Storuman, Sweden, is singer Katarina Barruk. She is known for revitalising the Ume Saami language, a moribund tongue originating from Sweden and Norway, with roughly 10 native speakers left in the world.

Now based in Umeå, Barruk has emerged as a vital voice in Ume Saami’s persistence. Describing her mother tongue as “a treasure and love,” the singer released her first album, Báruos, via Vuelie in September 2015. The album also incorporates joik, a traditional Saami folk song. 

Barruk is one of few Ume Saami native speakers alive today, as the language has become one of the world’s most threatened. With a deep commitment to sustaining the language, Barruk’s music is imbued with a social, cultural and political urgency. 

In 2012, Barruk was named Young Artist of the Year by Riddu Riddu, an indigenous festival based in Kåfjord, Norway. She also received Umeå Association’s Youth Scholarship in 2013, and teaches as part of a language immersion programme at Àlgguogåhtie, Umesamer. 

For CTM 2019, Barruk will perform with renowned avant-garde vocalist Maja Ratkje and video artist Matti Aikio. 

As If We Remembered

HAU2, Sun 27.01.2019, 19:30

Maja S.K. Ratkje & Katarina Barruk, Erwan Keravec