Mari Boine Persen - Gula Gula!

A masterpiece from the Album "Gula Gula" (1989). "Gula Gula" = Hear the Voices of the Foremothers. Listen & Enjoy it.

"Nature is my God, my guide and correction," BOINE explains. "Nature is the mirror of what is inside all of us. Without the connection to nature I would be lost."

Listening to her music is very much like listening to nature itself, something we'd be well advised to do more of.

BOINE was born in Karasjohka, a small town in the Arctic regions of Norway that are also part of what is known as Samiland, named after the indigenous people whose blood she shares. The Samis were colonised by Christians, and their culture slowly eroded until it was dismissed as worthless, so BOINE became acutely aware of notions of conformity early on. Her music has always been fiercely proud of her heritage, seeking to celebrate Sami culture while bringing it to a wider audience, fired initially by her anger at the contemporary treatment of their traditions. But though she has not mellowed in her beliefs, convictions so strong that she refused to perform at the Lillehammer Winter Olympics in 1994 on the grounds that she did not want to be used as "an exotic decoration", she has always sought new ways to integrate her ideology into her work. Her blend of Sami folk traditions -- in particular the yoik -- with contemporary rock, jazz, electronica and other musical forms sourced from around the planet has made her a revered figure at home and abroad. From the release of her second album, Gula Gula (from 1989), on Peter Gabriel's Real World label, to 2007's collection of remixes by such acclaimed artists as Mental Overdrive and The Knife, her international status has been unquestionable.

Her songs are strongly rooted in her experience of being in a despised minority. Most of her songs are sung in Sami, speaks directly of 'discrimination and hate'. Her other songs are more positive, singing of the beauty and wildness of Sapmi (Lapland).
She sings in a traditional folk style, using the yodelling 'yoik' voice, with a range of accompanying instruments and percussion.
BOINE continue to push back boundaries, challenging listeners with bold musical initiatives and a rejection of expectations, all the time enchanting and invigorating her audience with her unearthly, haunting voice. And while the fact that she trades in a sound inspired by her cultural roots, sung largely in the language of her ancestors -- a language being slowly eroded by Western influences -- has led to her being classified as a 'world music' artist, her horizons are much greater and her appeal more far reaching than this might suggest. It is, as she herself suggests, "global music from the universal heart."

In a world that seems to spin increasingly fast, where shrinking borders are leading to the mass homogenisation of culture instead of enriching it, BOINE'S voice -- pure, worldly-wise and yet otherworldly -- is more vital than ever. Listening to her music is very much like listening to nature itself, something we'd be well advised to do more of.

Biography:
Mari Boine was born on November 8th 1956 in Gámehisnjárga by Karasjok. Educated teacher from the Regional College in Alta. Full-time musician since 1985. Her debut album Jaskatvuoda manna came in 1985, her breakthrough came in 1989 with Gula Gula .

Music can touch on strings you might not know you had. It can provide meaning, but it can also create moments which can't be defined. Moments which go to your core, that touch some sort of primal instinct, and that put you in a trancelike condition. Music can confuse you. But it can also make you feel happy, uplifted or enriched. And maybe even more whole.

Mari Boines music has this effect. You can't leave a meeting with Mari and her music untouched. That is, if you dare to let her get close. Her music is actually simple. It is in the meeting between the songs, her voice and the musicians in the band that it gains strength. And in the interaction with the listener, because you must meet Maris music with an open mind. If you dont give of yourself, you might not discover the wealth she has to offer.

Because Mari is exceptional. She is an artist who is difficult to categorize. Perhaps she's a Sámi artist, perhaps she's a practitioner of world music. Perhaps she makes music in the borderline between Sámi, other folk music, jazz and rock. Perhaps she's the sum of all this. Or perhaps she's just herself. A musician, singer and artist who's making her own mark. Who has gone down a road where she hasn't always seen the destination. And who is still travelling.

Lyrics translation: Gula Gula (Hear the Voices of the Foremothers)

Hear the voices of the foremothers
Hear
They ask you why you let the earth become polluted
Poisoned
Exhausted
They remind you where you come from
Do you hear?
Again they want to remind you
That the earth is our mother
If we take her life
We die with her

Category:

Music

Tags:

• mari
• boine
• persen
• gula
• idjagiedas
• norway
• finland
• sweden
• scandinavia
• sami
• voice
• ethno
• percussion
• devotional
• world
• jazz
• traditional
• quality
• tiad

[adnansarikaya]

gula gula (originally, 'güle güle') is a turkish word, means 'goodbye'...

[tiad]

@adnansarikaya: I think this song has nothing to do with Turkish. On the CD there is a hint for Gula Gula = "Hear the Voices of the Foremothers". - ** Tiad **

[GulekiJwan]

Hi!

What does Gula means?

I LOVE THIS!

[tiad]

@GulekiJwan:

Lyrics translation: Gula Gula (Hear the Voices of the Foremothers) ** Hear the voices of the foremothers **

Hear ** They ask you why you let the earth become polluted ** Poisoned ** Exhausted ** They remind you where you come from ** Do you hear? ** Again they want to remind you ** That the earth is our mother **

If we take her life ** We die with her. *** Tiad

[koalek]

Maybe you should learn a foreign language instead of expecting the whole world to bend for you

[tjalondo]

This song brings me to the source of life

Thanks for sharing!

[ArnoryGondor]

...excelente música...me gusta...he descubierto hace poco a ésta interprete y me deja boquiabierto...no puedo por menos que compararla también con el grupo sueco Hedningarna.

[tuomaankuoma1]

Tämä se vain tuo kotiseuvun mieleen! Gula, jaa, meinaisiko vaikka mulukkua, eipä tiijä. Viisu sinänsä on hyvä.

[05werewolf]

2 words.....epic...song!!!!

[05werewolf]

OMD!!! i can't believe i performed this song last week!!!! but the other version /watch?v=4VZbLtUi2N8

[Sleipne]

@primavera111: Gula gula Nieida, gánda Gula máttut dál du curvot Manin attát eatnama duolvat Mirkkoduvvot Guoriduvvot Gula jiena Nieida, gánda Gula mátturáhkuid jiena Eana lea min buohkaid eadni Dan jos goddit ieza jápmit. The lyrics.

[Sleipne]

I sang this song years ago when I had classes in Sàmi. I'm not sure if my translation is correct but here goes. Hear, hear! Girl and boy Hear the voices of the foremothers ask Why you let the earth become polluted poisoned exhausted They remind you where you come from Listen Do you hear, they want to remind you The earth is our mother If we take her life we die with her.

[primavera111]

please could somebody write down the original Sámi lyrics? it sounds just wonderful

[TheKakdeg]

@adnansarikaya This is jojk, I doubt that she's singing in turkish.

[BrutalOddball]

or, it's a swedish word meaning yellow, yellow

[MouthOfTheUnknown]

beautiful sounding and poetic, true lyrics