Pamyua ( ) (literally: "its tail" in

Yup'ik The Yup'ik or Yupiaq (sg & pl) and Yupiit or Yupiat (pl), also Central Alaskan Yup'ik, Central Yup'ik, Alaskan Yup'ik ( own name ''Yup'ik'' sg ''Yupiik'' dual ''Yupiit'' pl; russian: Юпики центральной Аляски), are an I ...

from ''pamyuq'' "tail of animal or kayak; chorus of song; upper stern-piece of kayak") is a

musical group from

Anchorage Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U ...

Overview

Brothers Stephen and Phillip Blanchett, of

Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territorie ...

and African-American descent, formed Pamyua in 1995 with the goal of combining and preserving their cultural and religious backgrounds through music. Pamyua's music is self-described as "tribal

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mi ...

", " world music" and "

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...

", drawing inspiration from Russian Orthodox chants, traditional

music, R&B and most notably South African male choral group,

Ladysmith Black Mambazo Ladysmith Black Mambazo are a South African male choral group singing in the local vocal styles of '' isicathamiya'' and '' mbube''. They became known internationally after singing with Paul Simon on his 1986 album '' Graceland'', and have won ...

. An early influence was the African American gospel played in their father's church in

Wasilla Wasilla ( Dena'ina: ''Benteh'') is a city in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, United States and the fourth-largest city in Alaska. It is located on the northern point of Cook Inlet in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley of the southcentral part of the s ...

, Alaska. Most of their songs are based on traditional Yupik,

and

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland ...

ic chants, but the group is well known for reinterpreting them in modern styles, such as the song "Cayauqa Nauwa", which has been performed

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

(''mengluni'', 1998) and with

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

influences (''Caught in the Act'', 2003), as well as traditionally (''Drums of the North'', 2005). Integral to their staged performances is instrumentation, such as the Cauyaq drum, and mask dancing which evokes and honors traditional Yup'ik dancing. Pamyua has toured across the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and the world, performing at many world music festivals. In 2003, Pamyua won the Record of the Year Nammy for their album ''Caught in the Act''. They performed at the opening celebration of the

National Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers. The museum has three ...

in 2004. The National Museum of the American Indian also released a compilation recording featuring the music of Pamyua. Pamyua has provided background music for '' Flying Wild Alaska''. They also performed the theme song for '' Molly of Denali''.

Discography

*'' Mengluni'' (1998) *''Verses (Apallut)'' (2001) *''Caught in the Act'' (2003) *''Drums of the North'' (2005) *''Side A/Side B'' (2012) Phillip Blanchett

References

External links

Interview on The World Music Foundation Podcast
{{Authority control Musical groups from Anchorage, Alaska Musical quartets Yupik music