Feature
Aet Annist: Estonian Music And Culture
About this feature
In this World Cultures programme, Dominik interviews anthropologist Aet Annist about the Setu ethnic minority in southeastern Estonia. They discuss the history and customs of the Setu, the use of the karmushka accordion, and the polyphonic throat singing performed by women. The conversation also explores the migration of Setu people to Russia and the Caucasus, and the role of the 'nouveau setus' in reviving traditions.
Dominik hosts an interview with Aet Annist, an Estonian anthropologist calling from Colchester, for the World Cultures programme. They discuss the Setu, an ethnic minority of approximately ten thousand people in southeastern Estonia, and the living nature of their culture. Annist describes Setu musical traditions, including the use of the Russian button accordion known as the karmushka and a specific form of polyphonic throat singing primarily performed by women. The conversation also covers the migration of some Setu people to Russia and the Caucasus in the late 19th century, as well as the revival of traditions among the 'nouveau setus'.
Topics
- Setu ethnic minority and culture
- Estonian and Russian musical influences
- The 'nouveau setus' and the revival of traditions
Participants
- Dominik
- Aet Annist
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Aet Annist: How Setu Singing Kept A Culture Alive
World Cultures · Spoken extract
Estonian anthropologist Aet Annist says Setu culture stayed alive through the Soviet period mainly through its music, especially Setu singing by women, a distinctive polyphonic throat singing.
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Going during the Soviet period was their music, especially set to singing, which is something that's that's mostly done by women, and this was a very peculiar kind of throat singing, polyphonic throat singing. All right, yeah. And and the other thing was they they played music.
It makes it so obvious that they're actually—it is a living culture. It's not, you know, something which some anthropologist or folklorist or somebody is keeping alive, but but it's actually something which is really alive. Well, it is amazing because it is a nation of.
Accordingly, impressive. So, so yes, this throat singing isn't isn't exactly what you mean when when you think of throat singing, but it's still called for some reason. It's still called throat singing because it doesn't come from the from the area where you use for for making very very nice and flowing music.