Not a Song

This is not a song. This is what Karelian people used to do: they interpreted and described their thoughts and feelings on the kantele. Music was not a performance, it was communication. Communication from one person to another or inside oneself, with oneself. They called it "playing one's own power" - soittaa omaa mahtia. This 5-string kantele was made by Antero Vornanen in the 1930s. It is owned by his grandson. The photos are from my visit to Koli national park a couple of years back.