Tudjaat
| Tudjaat | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Nunavut, Canada |
| Genres | Inuit throat singing |
| Members |
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Tudjaat are Madeleine Allakariallak and Phoebe Atagotaaluk, two Inuit women from Nunavut, Canada who are keeping the ancient tradition of Inuit throat singing alive. Tudjaat got its start when Madelaine, who performed as part of a backup chorus with Susan Aglukark's third CD, was noticed by its producer, Randall Prescott. When he learned that she had a cousin who was also a throat singer, he arranged to have them brought together for a recording session which combined their traditional singing and modern music.
This short (six tracks) self-titled CD features "Kajusita (When My Ship Comes In)", a song written by Madeleine Allakariallak, Jon Park-Wheeler, and Randall Prescott. The CD won its producers the 1997 American Indian Film Institute Awards Best Song award, was included on a United Nations compilation CD entitled HERE and NOW, A celebration of Canadian Music,The Music of The First Peoples and Folk Music, and was made into a music video. The song, which describes the forced exile of a group of Inuit to the High Arctic in the last century, is a tribute to those who suffered and died as a consequence of a government decision.[1]
The next year Tudjaat's "Qingauiit", written by Jon Park-Wheeler and Randall Prescott, was included on Putumayo's A Native American Odyssey: Inuit to Inca.[2]
After the short-lived career of Tudjaat, Allakariallak worked for the CBC Northern Service and then in 2005 became a news host on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.