Photos from Riddu Riddu and Memorial Concert ends festival on note of hope

Yoik workshop in Turf Hut

 The Riddu  festival was cut short due to the tragedy--but a memorial concert closed out with hope and encouragement to stay strong and unite across differences from many of the indigenous performers.  The wonderful Russian band Yat-Kha closed out with a powerful rock set that included traditional Asian instruments, modern guitar, bass and drum, and throaty roaring of its lead singer combining heavy metal with ancient chant-- Tuvan folk-rock throat singing by Evgenii Tkachev ..they only played a few songs and I wanted it to go on...

lead singer on left

traditional and modern instruments

Violet Hill, from Troms county  Norway

The other groups that performed last night were a youth group, from various Indigenous traditions, mostly Scandinavian and Russian, and they were symbolic of the spirit of youth that cannot be crushed by someone like the shooter, who was targeting the youth of the social democrats , Norway's ruling liberal party..I watched in the rain with Lena and Kaisa (above in the shawl) who works for the Swedish Sami Parliament in Kiruna, Sweden.  The bands Saturday night that stood out for me were-Violet Hil a local Sami bandl and Timbuktu from Sweden (althought they went on late after I had left but I heard their sound check). Other highlights of the festival before and despite the tragedy:  a yoik workshop I took in the turf hut (see photos) and the hippie like calm atmosphere, beautiful music coming out of the yurta (a small yurt where intimate concerts took place) and diversity of attendees and their colorful traditional outfits.

face painted performer from Greenland and kids in Sami dress; me and Lena in her Lavvu of a Hunt's man