Let this Yellowknife duo show you the real heart of throat singing
Kayley Inuksuk MacKay and Hovak Johnston are driven to keep the tradition — and its spirit — alive
Throat singing is usually done in pairs: two women holding each other's arms and singing directly to each other. But it's much more than just a duet.
Meet Kayley Inuksuk MacKay and Hovak Johnston, the duo behind the Yellowknife Throat Singers. The two women are driven to keep the tradition alive, in its spirit and in the relationship it builds between women. "I think the connection and the bond is pretty amazing," says Johnston. "It's something that I think every woman should have: the support to know each other's weaknesses or strengths and help each other with those."
In this video made by filmmaker Caroline Cox, MacKay and Johnston show you the real heart of throat singing, and why they work hard to keep it beating.
You can follow the Yellowknife Throat Singers here.
Caroline Cox is a filmmaker based out of a remote homestead in the Canadian sub-arctic. Her wilderness lifestyle inspired her to create the documentary TV series Wild Kitchen. You can see her other work for CBC Arts here.
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