Yoik, the singing tradition of Sami, is considered to be ancient with roots presumably in prehistoric times . It is unique to the Sami culture and particular among European singing traditions . This singing tradition is characterised by a special vocal technology that utilises nearly the whole range of the human natural vocal potential  and was originally without instrumental accompaniment. Use of words could vary from one region to another, from nearly none in North Sami language area to long epic descriptions in East Sami in Kola Peninsula. The melodies with regular rhythmic and melodic patterns could often be freely played with and improvised on . Additionally, yoik could also be applied to story-telling .