Niko Valkeapää

Niko Valkeapää
Valkeapää performing in Márkomeannu, Norway on July 28, 2008.
Born	December 30, 1968 Enontekiö, Finland
Ethnicity	Sami
Occupation	Teacher, musician, writer and artist.[1]

Niko-Mihkal Valkeapää is a Sami musician and joiker (Sami folk singer). He has been described as "one of Sami music's foremost performers."^[1] Valkeapää has been living in Kautokeino, Norway since 1990.^[2] He is godson of Sami artist and joiker Nils-Aslak Valkeapää.

He won the Sámi Grand Prix (1994, 1995), received the Spellemann award in 2003 (open class) with his debut album, and the Liet Ynternasjonaal award, the international music prize for minority music. He has toured across Norway, including the Nattjazz festival in Bergen, and the Northern Norway music festival Riddu Riđđu in Manndalen, Norway. His work has been considered part of the "third wave" of modern Sami music culture, which he has done much work on, among others Georg Buljo.

Discography

• Niko Valkeapää, Duippidit, 2003
• Sierra, Duippidit, 2004
• Birrat birra, Duippidit, 2008

References

1. ^ mic.no, Niko Valkeapää, 10 May 2004, retrieved 11 January 2009
2. ^ mic.no, A Search for Identity, 6 February 2005, retrieved 11 January 2009

External links

• A study of Riddu Riddu Festivála and its role as a cultural tool for ethnic revialization Riddu Riddu, Joik or rock-n-roll?
• Music Information Centre Norway; Niko Valkeapää: Niko Valkeapää, Listen to Norway continues with Niko Valkeapää: Niko Valkeapää
• Norway, The Official Site in Japan; Music from Norway, Niko Valkeapaa
• Niko Valkeapää Folkelarm 2008

Persondata
Name	Valkeapaa, Niko
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	December 30, 1968
Place of birth	Enontekiö, Finland
Date of death
Place of death