Nils-Aslak Valkeapää

Nils-Aslak Valkeapää
Born	(1943-03-23)23 March 1943 Enontekiö Finland
Died	26 November 2001(2001-11-26) (aged 58) Helsinki, Finland
Occupation	Elementary school teacher, writer, musician, artist and film director

Nils-Aslak Valkeapää, known as Áillohaš in the Northern Sami language (23 March 1943 – 26 November 2001), was a Finnish Sami writer, musician and artist. He was born in Enontekiö in Lapland province, Finland. He lived most of his life in Käsivarsi, close to the border of Sweden, and also in Skibotn in Norway. Valkeapää was born to a family of traditional reindeer herders, but was trained as a school teacher. His most well-known international debut was when he performed at the opening ceremony of the 1994 Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway.

Works

The traditional Sami singing of the joik was important in his music, as well as in his painting and in written works. He was first recognised as an artist for his joik during the 1960s, with his first recording Jojkuja from 1968, which contained modernised joik. Valkeapeää wrote the music to the motion picture Ofelaš, internationally known as The Pathfinder in 1987, which was directed by Nils Gaup.

As a writer, he mainly wrote in Sami with his work translated into other languages and eventually published eight collections of poems. One of his best known is Beaivi áhčážan which has been translated to English, titled The Sun, My Father.

Nils-Aslak Valkeapää died on his way home from Japan during a stay in Helsinki^[1] at the age of 58. The possible cause of death was from complications from a 1996 automobile accident.^[2]

Posthumous publication of Nils-Aslak Valkeapää's work includes two poems included on his godson Niko Valkeapää's eponymous début album. An article published by the Music Information Center Norway stated, "In his trademark, understated style, Niko composes melodies that weave their way into and out of his godfather’s words. Nils Aslak Valkeapää was one of the foremost exponents of Sami art and culture through his long and distinguished career as a poet, composer and artist. Says Niko on his godfather’s influence: 'I can’t deny that Nils Aslak was a role model for me – he was a figure that I would look up to. He has been a source of inspiration and I have included two of his poems on my album to pay homage to him.”^[3]

A recording of Nils-Aslak Valkeapää performing his joik forms the centrepiece of "Prayer for the Earth", a track on The Songs of Distant Earth, the 1994 album by British musician Mike Oldfield.

Written works

The Sun, My Father artwork by Nils-Aslak Valkeapää

Poems^[4]

Eanni, eannázan (2001) ISBN 82-90625-40-5
Girddán, seivvodan (1999) ISBN 82-90625-34-0
The Sun, My Father (1997) ISBN 82-90625-32-4
In the shadow of midnight sun. Contemporary Sámi prose and poetry (1997) ISBN 82-7374-309-8
Jus gaccebiehtár bohkosivccii (1996)
Nu guhkkin dat mii lahka: så fjernt det naere (1994) ISBN 82-90625-20-0
Trekways of the Wind (1994) Univ of Arizona Press, ISBN 82-90625-21-9
Aurinko, isäni (1992) Ulkomainen Kirjallisuus, ISBN 978-82-90625-15-8
Fadir min, solin (1992)
Solen, min far (1990)
Vindens veier (1990)
Beaivi áhcázan (1988)
Vidderna inom mig (1987)
Ich bin des windigen Berges Kind (1985)
Ruoktu váimmus (1985) (combination of earlier poem collections)
Ádjaga silbasuonat (1981)
Kevään yöt niin valoisat (1980)
Lávllo vizár biellocizás (1976)
Gida ijat cuov’gadat (1974)

References

↑ http://www.utexas.edu/courses/sami/diehtu/siida/reindeer/valk.htm Nils-Aslak Valkeapää Harald Gaski's Foreword
↑ http://www.baiki.org/content/nils.htm
↑ http://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2003101614141626442664 Tomas Lauvland Pettersen, "A Search for Identity"
↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20080609053748/http://www.rovaniemi.fi/lapinkirjailijat/enils.htm

Nordic Council Literature Prize winners

1960s	1962: The Days of His Grace – Eyvind Johnson 1963: Under the North Star 3: Reconciliation – Väinö Linna 1964: The Ice Palace – Tarjei Vesaas 1965: From Hell to Paradise – Olof Lagercrantz and The Good Hope – William Heinesen 1966: Diwan on the Prince of Emgion – Gunnar Ekelöf 1967: Nye noveller – Johan Borgen 1968: Flight of the Eagle – Per Olof Sundman 1969: The Legionnaires – Per Olov Enquist

1970s	1970: Anna, I, Anna – Klaus Rifbjerg 1971: Coast of Slaves, Ships of Slaves & Islands of Slaves – Thorkild Hansen 1972: Sju ord på tunnelbanan – Karl Vennberg 1973: Kersantin poika – Veijo Meri 1974: Uden mål – og med – Villy Sørensen 1975: Siinä näkijä missä tekijä – Hannu Salama 1976: Að laufferjum & Að brunnum – Ólafur Jóhann Sigurðsson 1977: I de mörka rummen, i de ljusa – Bo Carpelan 1978: Dalen Portland – Kjartan Fløgstad 1979: Pubertet – Ivar Lo-Johansson

1980s	1980: Vredens barn – Sara Lidman 1981: Hauströkkrið yfir mér – Snorri Hjartarson 1982: Samuels bok – Sven Delblanc 1983: Om fjorten dage – Peter Seeberg 1984: The Christmas Oratorio – Göran Tunström 1985: A Day in Ostrobothnia – Antti Tuuri 1986: Líkasum – Rói Patursson 1987: Hudløs himmel – Herbjørg Wassmo 1988: Justice Undone – Thor Vilhjálmsson 1989: Roman 1987 – Dag Solstad

1990s	1990: For the Living and the Dead – Tomas Tranströmer 1991: The Sun, My Father – Nils-Aslak Valkeapää 1992: Night Watch – Fríða Á. Sigurðardóttir 1993: Byen og verden – Peer Hultberg 1994: Blackwater – Kerstin Ekman 1995: Angels of the Universe – Einar Már Guðmundsson 1996: Hva skal vi gjøre i dag og andre noveller – Øystein Lønn 1997: Bang. En roman om Herman Bang – Dorrit Willumsen 1998: After Having Spent a Night Among Horses – Tua Forsström 1999: Queen's Gate – Pia Tafdrup

2000s	2000: Drømmebroer – Henrik Nordbrandt 2001: The Discoverer – Jan Kjærstad 2002: The Half Brother – Lars Saabye Christensen 2003: Revbensstäderna – Eva Ström 2004: Juoksuhaudantie – Kari Hotakainen 2005: The Blue Fox – Sjón 2006: The Ocean – Göran Sonnevi 2007: Drömfakulteten – Sara Stridsberg 2008: Baboon – Naja Marie Aidt 2009: I Curse the River of Time – Per Petterson

2010s	2010: Purge – Sofi Oksanen 2011: Between the Trees – Gyrðir Elíasson 2012: Days in the History of Silence – Merethe Lindstrøm 2013: The Prophets of Eternal Fjord – Kim Leine 2014: Mirage 38 – Kjell Westö 2015: Wakefulness, Olav's Dreams & Weariness – Jon Fosse

List of Nordic Council's Literature Prize winners and nominees

Authority control	WorldCat Identities VIAF: 59247880 LCCN: n82250566 ISNI: 0000 0003 5479 8401 GND: 135106842 SELIBR: 98687 SUDOC: 050393685 BNF: cb13551168m (data) BIBSYS: 90067942 MusicBrainz: 8e030cfc-2f0c-4d45-8687-d5b347a33732

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