Pamyua

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Pamyua on the cover of Caught in the Act (2003)

Pamyua (IPA: [ˈbʌm jo ə]) is a Yupik musical group from Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska.

1 General information
2 Discography
3 Current members
4 External links

[edit] General information

Pamyua's music is self-described as "tribal funk" and "world music". Most of their songs are based on traditional Yup'ik, Inuit and Greenlandic 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 (mengluni, 1998) and with Pacific Islander influences (Caught in the Act, 2003), as well as traditionally (Drums of the North, 2005).

One need only look to the background of the members to realize their influences. Brothers Stephen and Phillip Blanchett, the founding members, have an African American father and a Yup'ik mother; Karina Møller, Phillip's wife, is Greenlandic; and Ossie Kairaiuak, the Blanchetts' cousin, is a Yup'ik from Chefornak, Alaska. Pamyua's music reflects this blend, from the Inuit hymn "Tarvaurnamken", to the "Reindeer Herding Song" written by Alaska Native songwriter Teddy Sundown, to the original "Ernerpakqaa Cavauralatua" written by Kairaiuak.

Pamyua has toured across the United States 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.