The indigenous population of Kamchatka.

In the middle of 17th and at the beginnig of 18th centuries were discovered all Siberia (Western and eastern) and the Far East, the territory near the river Amur became the part of the Russian state.
At the end of 17th century the settling of the North of the Far East (Kamchatka, Chukot) and the islands of the Pacific Ocean begins. Aboriginal population was about 300 000 people. These people were on the stage of primitive communal (tribal) relations. There was no state. They were free. These people were at enmity with each other.
There was an individual farm.

The ethnic people of Siberia and the Far East were: the North-East: the Chukchies, the Aleutians, the Koryaks,the Eskimos,the Itelmens,the Ukagirs;
the South: the Tungus, the Evens,the Nivchs,the Orakis,the Orachis,the Solons,the Dauds,the Ains,the Buryats,the Tunguses.
On the North-East are: the Chukchies, the Koryaks, the Eskimos.

Earliest explorers called the indigenous of Kamchatka like "a foreign man"- people who didn't belong to the Russian land and had another faith.
Later the indigenous of Kamchatka got another name-"kamchadals", this name united all the inhabitants of the peninsula. But kamchadals called themselves Itelmens. The word "Itelmen" is translated into Russian like "an inhabitant".

In this word is the answer to the since earliest times question, which people who met for the first time "foreigners" asked -"Who are you?"
The answer was the same though it sounded in different languages differently: "we are people who are living here".
Their basis activities were deer -breeding, fishing, and hunting. The names of constellations, stars, calendars, were connected with the deer-breeding, fishing.
The main deity was connected with the Pole Star. There was an epic about a raven.
Women were skilled and had a good hand at deer currying and made of these skins comfortable and graceful things. Their beauty and singularity still attract the attention of many tourists who find themselves in this mysterious land.
The basic armaments were bows; the indigenous threw stones with the help of straps, and the arrows they made of bones, walrus tusks.
Before coming of the first Cossack troops explorers of the 17th century, Kamchatka peninsula was inhabited by several peoples: the Koryaks lived in the central and northern parts of the peninsula; the Itelmens were in the southern and western parts of Kamchtka; the Evens lived in a tight groups on the territory of Bistrinskiy, Penginskiy and Olutorskiy regions; the Aleutians in most cases settled the territories of Aleut region; Chukchies-in the North of Kamchatka, in Olutorskiy and Penginskiy regions.
There were 2000 Chukchies, 4000 Eskimos, 11000 Koryaks- it is presumed that their quantity is understated.

Today the picture of settlement looks in the following way: Koryaks-7190 people, 91,4 of whom live on the territory of Koryakskiy autonomous region with nearly equal density of settlement. Majority of Koryaks live in Tigil region. Itelmens-1441 people, they live on the territory of Tigilskiy region. Evens are 1489 people; they settle Bistrinskiy and Olutorskiy regions.
Aleutians- only 390 people, 298 of whom live in Aleutskiy region. Chukchis- 1530 people, the majority of whom are concentrated on the territory of Koryakskiy autonomous region.

It's better to begin the story about natives with numerous Koryaks. The Koryaks, as a united ethnic community, is divided into two relatively big groups depending on the basis activities: into Nemalans (settled) and into Chavchuvens (nomadic).

The Koryaks

For Koryaks-Chavchuvens deer- breeding was not the main, but the only occupation.
The deer gave to Chavchuven all the necessary things for life.
They ate meat of the deer, skins were used for making clothes, bones were used for making implements and different everyday things.
The deerfat was the source of consecration.The deers were a vehicle for Koryak
The settled and nomadic Koryaks had the equally developed land mammal hunting and fur trade, but they were not the main in the household.
Before the coming of explorers the Koryaks were not engaged with fur animals hunting.
To a less degree Koryaks used furs like adornments for their clothes.
The Koryaks used bows with arrows, spears, slings as a war implement with other peoples.
The dwelling of settled Koryaks differed greatly from the dwelling of the nomadic Koryaks.
The nomadic Koryaks had a round yaranga, with a pole frame covered with deer skins.
Atop the skins the yaranga was tied around with the straps, the ends of which were attached to the driven-in stakes.
When Koryak entered their dwelling they threw off the part of the skin. Yaranga was a summer and a winter dwelling of the Koryak-Chavchuvenovs.
Material culture of the nomadic Koryaks has preserved much more traditional trades, because even having a good dwelling in the settlement a Koryak could hardly refuse his habitual way of life- his yaranga, his cooking meals on the fire.
What is more, the most part of the year he spends in tundra, grazing deers and only stops by his settlement.
The trapping took the second place after the fishing in the household of the settled Koryaks.
They hunted sea animals by going into the sea on the big canoes.
Having noticed the animal, the hunter threw his harpoon into the animal; the other hunters sailed up to the animal in their canoes, gathered round and finished off the animal with heavy spears with stone ferrules.
They also had another traditional occupations: wood and bone carving, weaving, metalworking.

The Itelmens

The Itelmens are also one of the representatives of Kamchatka's population. Itelmens is not a big nation, which settles the territory of Tigilskiy region.

Because of their small quantity they have no their own autonomy, they live mainly in the Koryakskiy autonomous region.
In ancient times the main occupation of the Itelmens were fishing and storage of different wild plants.
They had two dwellings: a summer and a winter dwellings, constant and temporal.
As a vehicle were sledges for transportation, and sledges for goods.
Their clothes were made of deer, dog, marine animals, fur animals and birds skins.
In the household they used bark ware and grass pots and pans.
In the wooden troughs they cooked the meals with the help of red-hot stones.
The Itelmens used sedge woven items: baskets, boxes which they carry behind their back with the help of leather or cloth straps.
Many different peoples living on the territory of Kamchatka region used such kind of items.

Chukchas

The most militant and steadfast people were Chukchas. The first record of them dated back to 1641 year.
The Chukchas were met on the river Alaseya (there were the rivers "The Big Chuhcha and the Small Chuhcha", that's why they were called this way).
They showed resistance and they couldn't be imposed a "yasak" (payment of taxes in the form of natural produce).

The reason was that the Chukchas had not almost items for "yasak".
This nation was very cruel. Only Chukchas tortured captives, and then killed them.
"Amanat"- means "a captive". Chukchis didn't keep their captives.
Chukchas were people of tundra and engaged with deer-breeding, and they led a nomad's life.
If we look at the type of their household, the Chukchas were divided into two big groups: the nomadic deer-breeding Chukchas and the settled hunters of marine animals.
During the 18th century Chukchas increased the number of the home deer and developed the pastoral deer- breeding.
Herds became bigger due to the natural increase and due to the seizure of Koryak and Ukagir's deer.
During the 18th century the autocracy forbid the selling of iron and iron goods to Chukchas. The autocracy was afraid that Chukchas could make different kinds of iron arms.
There were reasons for this.Usually when Chukchas bought coppery and iron cauldrons, they splitted them and and made tips for arrows and even made armours.
The Chukchas had a complex economy: small number of deer herds was combined with marine trapping and hunting of wild deer. The marine trapping was quite good developed. Ч

Almost every morning Chukchas made trade expeditions on their canoes from the gulf "the Cross" to the river Anadir for hunting.
Such crossings on the canoes could do only those people who knew the sea very well.
There is information that sometimes Chukchas in flotillas sailed to American coasts for " dumb" trading with the Eskimos.
The Chukchas' hunting implements was a spear and a harpoon.
When they hunted wild deers, snow rams they used a bow with arrows; when they hunted marine animals they used a harpoon and a spear. Л
The tips of arrows, spears and harpoons were made of bones and stones.
The Chukchas used boles and slings (they were war implements like a bow and a spear) while hunting small water birds.
The protective armours were made of antlers, , walrus tusks and skin.
The main means of transport for Chukchas were deer, but the settled Koryaks and Itelmens preferred dog sleds. On the sea Chukchas used canoes and kayaks.


The Eskimos

Appeared at the beginning of the first thousand years.
They influenced the culture and the language of the Chukchas and the Koryaks.
Eskomos brought the hunting of marine animals.
Under their influence the part of Chukchas and Koryaks began to lead a settled way of life, began deerstalking and the hunting of marine animals.
In wintertime they came to islands by deer and they got walruses there.
Their heads and tusks are the objects of cult-"holiday of the walruses' heads" were spread between the Koryaks and the Chukchas.
The Chuckchas and the Koryaks and the Chuckchas and the Eskemos were enemies.
The big groups raided, burnt the settlement, took captives and made them their slaves, killed men, seized meat, fat, skins store.
Women killed children and themselves not to be slaves.

The Evens

They are also the nation of Kamchatka.
In Chukotka and Kamchatka they were called "lamuts".
By their culture and by origin they were like the Evenkis.
Основой хозяйства стала не традиционная охота, а оленеводство.
The basis of their economy became not hunting, but deer-breeding.
The Evens who lived on the banks dealt with marine trapping and hunting.
The blacksmith's work was peculiar for them. As a dwelling they used cylindrical- conic yarangas, their costruction was almost similar to chukotsko-koryakskiy yaranga. In wintertime a lobby (like a tunnel) was joined to the yaranga for preserving warmth.
In comparison with the other nations of Kamchatka Evens didn't practice much dog breeding for driving.
The used the dogs for hunting and tried to train the dog for one beast.They moved with the help of deer.
ВThey breeded a lamute deer. In comparison with Chukchas and Koryaks, Evens wore not buttoned-up but plowing clothes which was beaded.

The Aleutians:

Their main occupation before they met Europeans were hunting of marine animals and fishing.
The subsidiary importance had a collecting.
Their boats were covered with leather. They had one- and two paddled canoes.
Aleutians stored up the eggs of the birds, they preserved them in the sea lion's fat.
Relation between Russians and the indigenes of the Aleutian Islands were different: friendly and hostile.
In the period of the first contacts the Aleutians borrowed a lot of Russian implements, the most perfect- an iron axe, a chisel, a knife, a saw, and so-called "aleutian" hatchet became popular between Russians. br>
Traditional Aleutian clothes existed the whole Russian period (before Alaska was sold).
Only materials were changed: parkas made of seal skin disappeared, the most spreading got parkas made of birds, kamleykas made of sea-lion's throats.
Later clothes were made of European fabrics, but the traditional cut was kept.
New innovations appeared in the making of footwear.
Usually it was made of lahatka skin, the sea lion's throat, the skin from sea-lion's fins, and also of the imported skin.
Pants were made of sea lion's throats and their intestines. In the everyday cloths appeared headdresses.
The peculiar ethnic history of the Aleutians from the Komandor Islands began more than 160 years ago, it began with settlements on these islands and the isolating from the other groups of Aleutians.
The settlement of the uninhabited islands (which were discovered in 1741 by the crew from the ship "Saint Peter", the commander was Vitus Bering) is connected with the activity of the Russian-American campaign.
Later this campaign was over in 1867 year and the Russian estates in America - Alaska and the Aleutian Islands- were sold to the USA, the Komandor Islands remained in the property of Russia.
The dwellings of the komandor Aleutians were modified traditional semi-subterranean yurtas.
On the Bering Island in everyday life dog-sledges appeared, borrowed in Kamchatka, but a little bit modified.
The quantity of Aleutians varies within the limits of 200 people.