Chanting stands out as a significant genre in the repertoire of vocal arts in many cultures. In much of the circumpolar arctic in particular, chanting constitutes the main if not the only vocal art form. As such, it may or may not be narrowly ritual in use, and may or may not include strings of verbal linguistic signs. All chants can be said to be imbued with cultural meanings. Meanings will differentially condense around the active chanter, the setting, and the sometimes passive audience members. The Saami (formerly Lapps) practice a chant form, the yoik. The meanings inheriting in yoik may challenge translation for a variety of reasons: words may be absent in the yoik, representation is denied by the yoikers, and the yoik may never be rendered the same twice.