A weekend long workshop: Grieving with our ancestors - Laments as a vessel for peace28th February - 2nd March // at Earthwise Residency In this fourth gathering around laments at Earthwise Residency, we focus on the unresolved grief of our family legacies.
And ancestral lines. The tears that were shed in silence, unwitnessed, or never had the chance to be shed at all. These unspoken sorrows often linger across generations, weaving themselves into the fabric of our lives in ways we may not fully realize.We'll examine the wounds we've inherited. Those deep emotional imprints that influence how we see ourselves, relate to others and navigate the world. We look into the survival strategies that no longer serve us, questioning if those strategies were even ours to begin with. Where did they come from, and what beliefs are embedded in them? Through the different lament practices we seek to release unresolved burdens and unravel hidden mechanisms that are not functioning in the favor of ourselves and our environment. We are open to heal and release inherited pains in a collective effort. The Lament workshop is for anyone with experience with lamenting, ritual singing/voicing, or similar spiritual rites. To participate, you need only write us, at info@earthwise.dk, and tell us about yourself and why you wish to join (only a few lines are necessary). If you are unsure that you have the experience necessary, please feel free to write us anyway. What is Lament?Laments are a global genre of traditional music. The earliest signs of laments are found from the Egyptian hieroglyphs that have a specific sign for a lamenter. Laments are still a living tradition despite centuries of suppression. They are found intact in islands of Greece, eastern parts of Romania, Karelia, Middle East and among indigenous cultures from Amazon and Africa to Papua New Guinea. Presently, we live in a time of revival of these traditions in Finland, Karelia and Ireland while in some parts of the world the suppressioncontinues.Laments are a musical expression carried by emotion. They often combine melody, poetry and natural tears. Crying is not forced, but laments are made out of topics with a strong emotional need. They are made out of anything that we know will make us cry. Laments were tied to rites of passage - traditionally to death and marriage.In both these events a community faces a loss of a member and thus there are two rites of passages at the same time. For the one who transcends and for the community that needs to deal with the immediate changes. Specific ritual laments took place in order to have a secure and healthy transition.But laments were also used outside of communal ceremonies. All of us live through a series of personal rites of passages. Laments have been used to assist in those as well; recovering from trauma, releasing emotional burdens, gaining new perspectives to difficult situations.In our times, laments have been used to deal with ecological anxiety and solastalgia also. The general use of laments in arts and performances has increased, and its potential as a tool for protest and social change is being rediscovered. Our host, Tuomas Rounakari, is one of a few key figures in revitalizing Karelian lament traditions in Finland. He learned the essence of laments from the Karelian elder Martta Kuikka, who was the first to bridge between the Karelian lament tradition and modern-day Finland. Together with Pirkko Fihlman, Tuomas Rounakari developed a model of teaching laments in grief circles that allowed the participants to create their unique laments and be witnessed in their grief. During the past 20 years of workshops and ceremonies, Tuomas has been birthing and witnessing over a thousand individual laments across continents. Tuomas Rounakari is also an internationally acclaimed violinist, composer, ethnomusicologist and educator. He is a versatile musician ranging from avantgarde improvisation to folk-metal, from contemporary classical music compositions to film scoring and sound design. His Doctorate of Arts thesis (2024) from the University of Arts in Helsinki, discusses the altered states of consciousness and the ability to engage in dialogue with the more-than-human, the natural world around us, through music. The case study in his thesis centres around the Bear Feast traditions of Finland, Karelia and the indigenous Khanty and Mansi people in Siberia. When:Friday, 28th of February at 17.00 to Sunday, 2nd of March at 18.00. IMPORTANT:This workshop is primarily for participants who have either worked prior with Tuomas or the lament tradition, or some equivalent work. Please get in touch to talk about this, if you are unsure.You MUST confirm your participation with Natasja at info@earthwise.dk, only then will you be able to purchase a ticket. Tickets:Normal: 2500 DKK (includes accommodation in shared bedrooms and food items for communal cooking).No accommodation: 1500 DKK (includes food items for communal cooking, but you are responsible for your own accommodation) The workshop will be in English. Limited spots available. Lament is arranged by Earthwise Residency and Space for Earthwisedom.
Køb/bestil billet
And ancestral lines. The tears that were shed in silence, unwitnessed, or never had the chance to be shed at all. These unspoken sorrows often linger across generations, weaving themselves into the fabric of our lives in ways we may not fully realize.We'll examine the wounds we've inherited. Those deep emotional imprints that influence how we see ourselves, relate to others and navigate the world. We look into the survival strategies that no longer serve us, questioning if those strategies were even ours to begin with. Where did they come from, and what beliefs are embedded in them? Through the different lament practices we seek to release unresolved burdens and unravel hidden mechanisms that are not functioning in the favor of ourselves and our environment. We are open to heal and release inherited pains in a collective effort. The Lament workshop is for anyone with experience with lamenting, ritual singing/voicing, or similar spiritual rites. To participate, you need only write us, at info@earthwise.dk, and tell us about yourself and why you wish to join (only a few lines are necessary). If you are unsure that you have the experience necessary, please feel free to write us anyway. What is Lament?Laments are a global genre of traditional music. The earliest signs of laments are found from the Egyptian hieroglyphs that have a specific sign for a lamenter. Laments are still a living tradition despite centuries of suppression. They are found intact in islands of Greece, eastern parts of Romania, Karelia, Middle East and among indigenous cultures from Amazon and Africa to Papua New Guinea. Presently, we live in a time of revival of these traditions in Finland, Karelia and Ireland while in some parts of the world the suppressioncontinues.Laments are a musical expression carried by emotion. They often combine melody, poetry and natural tears. Crying is not forced, but laments are made out of topics with a strong emotional need. They are made out of anything that we know will make us cry. Laments were tied to rites of passage - traditionally to death and marriage.In both these events a community faces a loss of a member and thus there are two rites of passages at the same time. For the one who transcends and for the community that needs to deal with the immediate changes. Specific ritual laments took place in order to have a secure and healthy transition.But laments were also used outside of communal ceremonies. All of us live through a series of personal rites of passages. Laments have been used to assist in those as well; recovering from trauma, releasing emotional burdens, gaining new perspectives to difficult situations.In our times, laments have been used to deal with ecological anxiety and solastalgia also. The general use of laments in arts and performances has increased, and its potential as a tool for protest and social change is being rediscovered. Our host, Tuomas Rounakari, is one of a few key figures in revitalizing Karelian lament traditions in Finland. He learned the essence of laments from the Karelian elder Martta Kuikka, who was the first to bridge between the Karelian lament tradition and modern-day Finland. Together with Pirkko Fihlman, Tuomas Rounakari developed a model of teaching laments in grief circles that allowed the participants to create their unique laments and be witnessed in their grief. During the past 20 years of workshops and ceremonies, Tuomas has been birthing and witnessing over a thousand individual laments across continents. Tuomas Rounakari is also an internationally acclaimed violinist, composer, ethnomusicologist and educator. He is a versatile musician ranging from avantgarde improvisation to folk-metal, from contemporary classical music compositions to film scoring and sound design. His Doctorate of Arts thesis (2024) from the University of Arts in Helsinki, discusses the altered states of consciousness and the ability to engage in dialogue with the more-than-human, the natural world around us, through music. The case study in his thesis centres around the Bear Feast traditions of Finland, Karelia and the indigenous Khanty and Mansi people in Siberia. When:Friday, 28th of February at 17.00 to Sunday, 2nd of March at 18.00. IMPORTANT:This workshop is primarily for participants who have either worked prior with Tuomas or the lament tradition, or some equivalent work. Please get in touch to talk about this, if you are unsure.You MUST confirm your participation with Natasja at info@earthwise.dk, only then will you be able to purchase a ticket. Tickets:Normal: 2500 DKK (includes accommodation in shared bedrooms and food items for communal cooking).No accommodation: 1500 DKK (includes food items for communal cooking, but you are responsible for your own accommodation) The workshop will be in English. Limited spots available. Lament is arranged by Earthwise Residency and Space for Earthwisedom.
Entré: 2500 kr
