Marko Jouste

Marko Jouste (PhD, Associate Professor of Saami Culture) works as a university lecturer in Saami Cultural Studies at the Giellagas Institute, University of Oulu. As an ethnomusicologist, historian, and musician, he has conducted extensive research in the fields of contemporary and historical Saami art, history, and oral traditions. Dr. Jouste has published over 50 peer-reviewed scientific works, including articles and books, and has presented his research at national and international conferences since 1996. In 2011, he defended his doctoral dissertation, Tullâčalmaaš kirdâččij ‟The One Who Flew with the Fire-eyes‟, which provides a comprehensive analysis of historical Aanaar (Inari) Saami traditional music and its interrelation with oral history.

Dr. Jouste has served as a principal investigator (PI) for several research projects that examine Saami musical traditions and history. Currently, he leads the following projects:

• Skolt Saami Dance: The Transformative Journey of Tradition, Resilience, and the Arctic Quadrille, in collaboration with Dr. Petri Hoppu, funded by the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation.
• Pohjoissaamelainen satukirja 1956 – Historiallisen arkistoaineiston palauttaminen yhteisölle ja avoimen käytön eettisten ja oikeudellisten käytäntöjen kehittäminen (North Sámi Storybook 1956: The Repatriation of Historical Archive Material to the Saami Community and Development of Ethical and Juristic Practices for Open Access Publication), funded by the Kone Foundation.
• The Life History of Jaakko Sverloff, a multidisciplinary project funded by the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation.

His previous roles include serving as a PhD researcher and PI for the project Historical Turning Points of Multilayered Music Tradition among the Skolt Saami in Finland (funded by the Academy of Finland, 2015–2018) and as a researcher for the project Song and Singing as Cultural Communication (funded by the Finnish Academy and administered by the University of Tampere, 2011–2013).

Dr. Jouste's research draws heavily on archival materials from Finland, the Nordic countries, Russia, and Estonia. At the Giellagas Institute, he plays a central role in organizing and developing the Saami Culture Archive and its research services. Notably, he served as the lead researcher and project developer for the FIRI2014 Development Project of the Saami Culture Archive at the University of Oulu (2014–2016), funded by the Academy of Finland. This initiative built on his prior contributions as an archive developer for the Saami Culture Archive (2009–2013) and his role in the Nordic Yoik Archive Project, governed by the Sámi Museum Siida in Finland and Ájtte, the Swedish Mountain and Sami Museum (2006–2007). Additionally, he received a scholarship from the Finnish Cultural Foundation to study Skolt Saami sound archive materials (2008–2009).

Recent research papers:

1. Historical traditional culture, music research:

• Jouste, Marko (2022). ”Skolt Saami Leuʹdd. Tradition as a medium of individual and collective remembrance”. The Sámi World. Edited by Valkonen, Sanna; Aikio, Áile; Alakorva, Saara and Magga, Sigga-Marja. London: Routledge, pp. 53–71.
• Jouste, Marko (2017). ”The Historical Skolt Sami Music and the Two Types of Melodic Structures in Leuʹdd Tradition”. Folklore 67. Tartu: Estonian Literary Museum, pp. 69–84. https://doi.org/10.7592/FEJF2017.68.jouste
• Jouste, Marko (2017). ”Áillohaš ja uuden joiun synty”. [Nils-Aslak Valkeapää and the Birth of the New Yoik]. Minä soin. Mun čuojan: Kirjoituksia Nils-Aslak Valkeapään elämäntyöstä. Edited by Valtonen, Taarna; Valkeapää, Leena. Rovaniemi: Lapland University Press, pp. 233–258.

2. History of Saami:

• Jouste, Marko; Lehtola, Veli-Pekka; Juutinen, Markus; Tanhua, Sonja (2022). ”Jääkk Sverloff johtajana ja kulttuuritulkkina – Kolttasaamelaisten historian käänteitä 1900-luvulla”. [Jääkk Sverloff as a Leader and a Cultural Interpreter – Turning points of Skolt Saami history in 20th century]. Suomen rajaseutujen kolonialismi. [Colonialism of Finnish Borderlands]. Edited by Kullaa, Rinna; Lahti, Janne and Lakomäki, Sami. Helsinki: Gaudeamus, pp. 97–116.

3. Archive research and Language technology:

• Jouste, Marko; Mettovaara, Jukka; Morottaja; Petter; Partanen, Niko (2022). "Archive infrastructure and spoken language corpora for Saami languages in Finland". Proceedings of the 6th Digital Humanities in the Nordic and Baltic Countries Conference (DHNB 2022). Edited by Berglund, Karl; La Mela, Matti; Zwart, Inge. Aachen: Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule, pp. 269–278. https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3232/paper25.pdf 2

4. Music theory, scientifical paradigms, history of recording:

• Jouste, Marko (2014). ”Katsaus Venäjän saamelaisten musiikkiperinteiden keräykseen ja tutkimukseen”. [An Overview to Recording and Research of Music Traditions of Russian Saami]. Song and Emergent Poetics. Oral Traditions in Performance: Conference Proceedings, 21–24. November 2013. Edited by Huttu-Hiltunen, Pekka; Frog; Lukin, Karina; Karikko, Sari and Stepanova, Eila. Runolaulu-Akatemian julkaisuja 18. Kuhmo: Runolaulu-Akatemia & Juminkeko, pp. 189–222.
• Jouste, Marko (2008). ”Pentatoniikan käsite 1900-luvun alun suomalaisessa musiikintutkimuksessa”. [The Concept of Pentatonics in the Finnish Music Research of the Early 20th Century]. Etnomusikologian vuosikirja 20. Edited by T. Talvitie-Kella; M. Lahti. Helsinki: Suomen Etnomusikologinen Seura, pp. 27–50. https://doi.org/10.23985/evk.101193

5. Saami linguistics:

Jouste, Marko; Juutinen, Markus; Koponen, Eino (2020). ”Kolttasaamelaisen Näskk Moshnikoffin leuʹdd-kielen idiolekti”. [The Idiolect of Leuʹdd Language of Skolt Saami Näskk Moshnikoff]. Kulttuurintutkimus Vol 37, 1–2, pp. 32–56. Edited by Saarikivi, Janne and Virtanen, Pirjo Kristiina. Jyväskylä: Kulttuurintutkimuksen seura ry. https://journal.fi/kulttuurintutkimus/article/view/98099

Repatriation, cultural and language revitalization

Dr. Jouste's research underscores the significance of repatriation, cultural and language revitalization, and indigenous ethics in the management of Saami archival materials. He developed a model known as the "path between archive and Saami communities," which emphasizes active dialogue and engagement. This approach was implemented in the Skolt Saami Memory Bank - A Pilot for Data Management and Revitalization of Endangered Skolt Saami Music, Language, and Culture, a key project he led, funded by the Academy of Finland (2016–2018). Furthermore, he contributed to discussions on ethical and legal practices as a member of the Sámi Culture and Evolving Copyrights project (2017–2018), led by legal scholar Dr. Piia Nuorgam at the University of Lapland.

"This work on repatriation has included research, editorial work, and the publication of Saami archival material in collaboration with Saami linguists, such as:

• Saastamoinen, Ilpo; Moshnikoff, Satu; Jouste, Marko; Juutinen, Markus (2024). Njuõʹttjääuʹr leeuʹd - Nuortijärven leuʹddit. Edited by Marko Jouste and Markus Juutinen. Helsinki: Global Music Centre.
• Sammallahti, Pekka (2021). Vuõʹlǧǧe jååʹtted ooudâs, 3. Revised Edition. Edited by Jouste, Marko, Lehtinen; Miika; Juutinen, Markus. Publications of the Giellagas Institute Vol 16. Oulu: Oulun yliopisto.
• Nielsen, Konrad & Ulve, Andreas (2019): Fjellreindrifta i Finland på begynnelsen av 1900-tallet. Red. Nils-Henrik Valkeapää. Layout: Marko Jouste & Hilla Reiniharju. Publications Of the Giellagas Institute. Volume 17. Oulu: University of Oulu.
• Jouste, Marko; Mosnikoff, Elias; Sivertsen, Seija (2007). Maaddârääjji leeuʹd - Historiallisia kolttasaamelaisia leu’ddeja. The Leuʹdds of the Ancestors. Historical Skolt Saami leuʹdds. CD-levy ja kirja. Saamelaismuseosäätiö & Kansanmusiikki-Instituutti & Kolttien kyläkokous.

A notable recent contribution by Dr. Jouste is the exhibition Pleässjeei meer - Dansende folk - Tanssiva kansa - Dancing People, which explores Skolt Saami dance culture and executed in co-operation with PhD Petri Hoppu and Äʹvv Skolt Sami Museum in Neiden, Norway. The findings of this project will be disseminated in the forthcoming book Skolt Saami Dance: The Transformative Journey of Tradition, Resilience, and the Arctic Quadrille, co-authored with Dr. Petri Hoppu and published by Bloomsbury Publishing.

Teaching

In his teaching role at the Giellagas Institute, Dr. Jouste designs and delivers courses in Saami Cultural Studies and Digital Humanities. His teaching portfolio encompasses contemporary and historical Saami art, history, and oral traditions, as well as research theories and methods, fieldwork practices, and archival research. He also supervises graduate and postgraduate students, fostering the next generation of scholars in these fields.

Teaching demonstration

Bolševikit Petsamossa 1920 - Kolttasaamelainen muistitieto ja aikalaislähteet

Links:

Jouste Bolševikit petsamossa (2023) (pdf)

Jouste Luentomoniste (2023) (pdf)

As a musician, Jouste has trained as a classical guitarist and guitar teacher at the Tampere Conservatory (1991–1996, 1999–2001). Since 1997, he has performed and recorded Saami music with various Saami artists. The albums by Ulla Pirttijärvi & Ulda include Vuolgigoahtit (2025), Roijk (2016), and Ulda (2012), which was nominated for Finland's Best Ethno Album ('Etno-Emma') in 2012. Albums by the Skolt Saami music group Suõmmkar are Peäccam da Paččjokk(2025) and Suõmmkar (2018). Albums by Vilddas include Silbabárut (2012), Háliidan (2003), and Vilddas (2000)."