Paulus Utsi was born in 1914 in Ivgumuotki, Norway and died in 1975 in Porjus. Although it is almost 50 years since he died, he is as relevant today as when he was alive. His poems and texts, which often deal with reindeer husbandry and the Sami language, have inspired many people over the years.
– When I was a child, we visited Vájssaluokta and they showed me Paul’s cabin where he used to sit and write and it was so big, says Sofia Jannok and continues:
– As a child he was my idol and I remember sitting in the cabin and pretending I was a poet. For me it was a great feeling to know that he sat in the same cabin and wrote. I am who I am today because of Paul’s áddjá.
Published book in 1974
Paulus Utsi published “Giela giela” together with his wife Inger Huuva-Utsi in 1974 and it was the only book of poems that he himself managed to publish. The second book “Giela gielain” was published posthumously in 1980 and in 1992 the collection “Don čanat mu alccesat” came via Nils-Aslak Valkeapää.
And which is Sofia Jannok’s favorite among Paul’s poems? It is “Reagganan ráhkisvuohta”, which you will hear below.