Ijahis Idja festival draws 2,800 visitors to Inari

The Ijahis Idja Indigenous music festival attracted an estimated 2,800 visitors to Inari this year, slightly more than last year, Yle reports. As many as 4,700 people also followed the event via livestream.

The festival brought people together to hear music and meet friends, despite variable weather. Friday’s headline act was the Sámi rock band Mollet.

The programme featured a diverse selection of Sámi artists from across the Sámi homeland. Jon Henrik Fjällgren, who has become highly popular, also performed in Inari on Friday.

This year, visitors could also stop at the Yle 100 bus, where they could read news, watch a Sámi-language version of the Moominvalley series and play games.

Johan Niillas Aikio, from Utsjoki, attended the festival with his sister. On Saturday, he was most looking forward to rapper Ailu Valle’s performance.

“It is the only name I know,” he said.

Ailu Valle and Amoc closed this year’s Ijahis Idja later on Saturday evening.

Laila Aikio has attended the festival every year. She remembers when it was first held on the other side of the village of Inari.

“Wimme performed then too and started joiking on the roof of the old library building. There were not many performers yet,” Aikio recalled.

Sirkka Mansikka-Aho was attending the event for the first time. She said the atmosphere at the festival was excellent.

“People are in a good mood. I wander around here and the hours pass. You feel at home here and can simply be,” Mansikka-Aho said.

On Saturday, Laila Aikio and Mansikka-Aho waited for live performances by Laila’s daughter, Heli Aikio.

The Saturday programme also traditionally includes suopunki throwing competitions. Piia Magga won the women’s category and Nils-Piera Ruotsala won the men’s category.

Another Saturday performer was EiGa, a relatively new name in Sámi music. The joik group from Kautokeino was eagerly anticipated because it has not often performed in Finland.