Small Peoples of Russia. Koryaks. The Koryak people, where they live, photos in national costumes, history, traditions, customs of the Koryaks

10.04.2019

Koryaks are one of the most numerous nationalities Kamchatka, which is the ancient indigenous population of the region. The Koryaks have common ancestors with the North American Indians: the mythology and ritual culture that binds the peoples has survived to this day.

Name

For the first time the use of the name “Koryak” is found in the notes of Russian colonialists XVIII century. The ethnonym was borrowed from the neighboring tribes of the Evens and Yukaghirs. The first used the name “karaka”, the second - “heyokel”, which meant “appearing from behind the hill”. Russian-language adaptation led to the emergence of the familiar name of the nationality.
There is a version that the ethnonym goes back to the local word “hora”, meaning “deer”. And the Koryaks are “owners of deer”, “associated with deer”. The self-name of the people is different; more precisely, there were two groups of ethnically united Koryaks who called themselves differently. They differed in their habitat and predominant occupations.

Tundra nomadic Koryaks engaged in reindeer breeding. Places of residence: the mainland of Kamchatka, the Taygonos Peninsula, Penzhinskaya Bay, and the lower territories of the Apuka River. The main occupation is reindeer herding. Self-names - chavchyv, chavchuveny, chavchyvav, means “reindeer herder”.
Sedentary coastal Koryaks. They occupied the northwestern and northeastern coasts of Kamchatka, the coast of Karaginsky Bay. The main activities are hunting sea animals, fishing, and gathering. Self-names - nymylyn, nymylany, nymylu.

Where they live, number

The 2010 census showed the presence of 7,953 representatives of the Koryak people in Russia. Occupancy is limited to historical habitat areas. Among them:

Kamchatka Territory - 6640 people.
Magadan region - about 700 people.
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and other regions - about 600 people.

There are no national settlements with a predominant Koryak population left. The Koryaks assimilated with the Russians and other neighboring peoples and formed single settlements. Representatives of the nationality make up 30-40% in the village of Palana, Penzhinsky, Karaginsky districts of the Kamchatka Territory.

Language

The Koryak language belongs to the Paleo-Asian language group, the Chukchi-Kamchatka family. Every year the number of native speakers of the language decreases; according to census data, those who spoke it, considering it native:

1959 - 99.6% Koryaks;
1989 - 52.4% Koryaks;
2010 - 18.3% Koryaks.

The people did not have a written language; the first alphabet was created in 1931 based on the Latin alphabet. Russian graphics were introduced in 1937; in 1950, the alphabet was reformed and brought to its modern form. There is an Alutor dialect, characteristic of the coastal Koryaks. Some researchers distinguish the adverb into a separate language.

Story

The oldest ancestors of the Koryaks came to the region 15,000 years ago, migrating from Eastern Siberia. Some tribes settled in the cold northern regions. Some moved further, crossing the isthmus on the ice and ending up on the American continent, becoming the ancestors of the Indians of North America. Common mythological ideas, similar rituals, and a number of common genes can be traced between nations.

The Koryaks were considered a warlike tribe, excellent with bows and arrows. Folklore has preserved evidence of skirmishes with neighboring tribes and strangers. The beginning of the 18th century was marked by the colonialist policy of the Russian state. For the next century, the coastal Koryaks refused to accept the new government, defending the independence of their territories in battles.
The nomadic Koryaks agreed to become subjects of Russia and paid tribute in reindeer skins. Cases of participation in hostilities on the side of the Russians against the coastal Koryaks and neighboring peoples have been recorded. By the middle of the 19th century the situation had returned to normal. Russian authorities established in the region, the assimilation of the Koryaks began. With the advent of Soviet power, nomadic life was reduced, villages shared with Russian settlers were built, and collective farms were formed. Private property and personal reindeer herds are being eradicated, and shamans are being persecuted.

Appearance

Along with other northern peoples, the Koryaks belong to the Arctic type of the Mongoloid race. Characteristics appearances are:

short stature;
slim and strong figure;
round face:
flattened head;
prominent cheekbones;
dark skin pigmentation;
large mouth with bright lips;
a long nose;
small “live” eyes”;
black coarse hair;
little hair on the body and face.

Researchers noted the attractiveness of the girls, but the impression was spoiled by the lack of hygiene. Representatives of the nationality never washed: for girls it was even considered a disgrace, a tendency to debauchery. Only old men and girls combed and braided their hair; in a number of coastal Koryak settlements, men shaved their heads.

Cloth

Underwear for men is pants and a shirt made of fur or skin, for women - overalls made of similar material. Coastal Koryaks sewed trousers from seal skins, nomadic ones - from rovduga and reindeer kamus. The national outerwear of both sexes is the kukhlyanka, a thick, tightly cut fur coat below the knees or to the floor. They were sewn from reindeer skins; in winter, during forays, they used double fur coats - with fur in and out.

The head was protected with fur hoods that were removable or sewn to kukhlyankas. Double mittens made of fur or reindeer kamus were put on the hands. In the summer they wore old kukhlyankas with faded fur, and light shirts made of rovduga, which in winter protected the kukhlyanka from dirt. Closed overalls were sewn for children under 5 years of age, often without slits for the limbs. The back part was complemented by a pocket, inside of which moss was placed, which absorbs liquid well - an analogue of a modern diaper.
Women decorated their kukhlyankas along the hem with dog or deer fur, and later with the fur of fur-bearing animals. Fur mosaics with geometric and animalistic patterns were widely used. The bib and back were decorated with beads, fringe, straps, and pieces of seal fur. Girls from nomadic tribes preferred colorful fur. The coastal ones alternated stripes of light and dark skins.
Men and women had tattoos with sacred meaning, denoting social status. The drawings were placed in a visible place: on the ears and face. The application method is typical for northern peoples: a needle and thread were smeared in fat and coal, then passed under the skin, applying a pattern. For example, longitudinal strips along a woman’s nose were pricked to cure infertility.

Family life

The Koryaks settled in tribal patriarchal communities, the heads of which were older men. A family of 20 to 100 people lived in one or several houses (yarangas, half-dugouts) within one camp, communal settlement.
Coastal Koryaks practiced individual ownership and personal farming. Kayak associations were created for fishing and hunting sea animals. The nomadic Koryaks recognized the right to communal ownership of pastures and personal reindeer herds. The head of the community was considered the owner the largest number heads around which relatives united.

The man acted as the head of the family, resolved public issues, provided the family with food, housing, and did hard household work. The cult of women, preserved from ancient times, assigned the wife equal rights with her husband. There was a custom of working off: matchmaking involved moving into the house of the chosen girl and working for her father-in-law.
During detention, contact with the future bride was prohibited: the Koryaks valued chastity. Single girls They were limited in their communication with the opposite sex; even giving a stranger a glass of water was considered a disgrace. The Koryaks were known as ardent jealous people: a compliment, a glance, especially an intention towards another man's wife was punished, leading to fights and murders. In order not to be branded dissolute, the wives of jealous men tried to look unpresentable, preferring modest behavior and isolation.

Housing

The nomadic Koryaks preferred portable yarangas: frame structures covered with reindeer skins. The shape of the yaranga resembles a small Asian yurt: heat preservation was a priority. Inside the dwelling there was a fireplace, which was considered inviolable for strangers. Hanging hammocks were placed along the walls according to the number of couples living in the yaranga. In cold weather, a “tent” was erected in the center, placing a lamp with seal oil inside: this made it possible to sleep without clothes even in cold weather. very coldy.

Coastal Koryaks built semi-dugouts located 3-10 km from the coast. At a depth of 1.5 m, base poles were installed, filled on the sides with logs 4-6 m high. The structure was crowned with a caulked eight-slope roof, protecting from snow and rain, with a ventilation window for smoke and a winter exit.

Life

The nomadic part of the people was engaged in breeding large herds of deer: from 400 to 2000 heads. Each season was marked by migration:

Spring - transition to pastures rich in moss, as calving time was approaching.
Summer - moving to areas with fewer midges and insects.
Autumn - moving the reindeer closer to permanent camps near the rivers, as the time for slaughter was approaching.
Winter - short migrations near the camp.

The main occupation of the coastal Koryaks in ancient and medieval times was hunting large sea animals: whales, seals, seals. The whale hunt was carried out by the community. A net was fixed between the rocks near the shore, weighed down by heavy boulders. On a canoe - a boat upholstered with the skins of sea animals - the men tracked the whale, driving it into a trap. The animal could suffer for days; when it weakened, it was finished off with spears, arrows, or harpoons.

In the 19th century, American whaling reduced the success of Koryak hunting, and fishing became of primary importance. In the spring, shoals of salmon fish swam into the coastal rivers - sockeye salmon, chum salmon, pink salmon; in March the smelt season began; April yielded a rich catch of herring, which entered the calm waters to spawn. Women collected nuts, roots, herbs, and shellfish. In winter, the Koryaks hunted deer, mountain sheep, hares, bears, and wolves.

Religion

The traditional beliefs of the Koryaks are associated with the animation of all things: animals, plants, natural phenomena. The main mythological character is the Raven God, legends about which are preserved among all northern peoples and Indians of North America. Raven is the creator of all things, but at the same time he is a rogue and a prankster who gets into ridiculous stories.

The rituals of the Koryaks were led by shamans dressed in wolf skins, who accompanied the sacred actions with throat singing, playing the jew's harp and a large tambourine. The events took place in special places - appapels, endowed with mystical properties in the minds of the people. Among them there were hills, oddly shaped stones, cliffs, and capes. The rituals were accompanied by sacrifices of deer, dogs, and sea animals. The use of sacred objects - anapels - was practiced: totems, ceremonial masks, fortune telling stones, amulets, figurines symbolizing images of ancestors.

Traditions

Even the advent of Christianity did not eradicate the funeral traditions of the Koryaks. Funeral clothing was prepared during life, without being completed to completion: it was believed that a ready-made outfit would lead to imminent death. After death, relatives completed the suit, always with rough stitches.
For three days after his death, the deceased was in a common yurt. There must have been one or more people who were awake at that time, sitting with the deceased, treating him as if he were alive. Afterwards, the body was put on fire, collecting funeral pyres from pine branches.

Food

The basis of the diet of the nomadic Koryaks was boiled reindeer meat, the coastal ones - the meat and fat of sea animals. The fish was made into yukola: fatty salmon were cut up and dried in the open air. A dish that shocks foreigners is fish heads fermented with caviar, peeled from the gills. The unpleasant aroma is a deterrent, but the Koryaks still consider the dish to be an exquisite delicacy.

Video

Living within the Primorsky Territory along the shores and on the Kamchatka Peninsula, on the one hand in the vicinity of the Tungus, on the other - with the Chukchi. The first information about the Koryaks appeared at the beginning of the 17th century, after campaigns on. At the same time, the ethnonym “Koryak” first appeared. It probably goes back to the Koryak word khora (“deer”). According to their way of life, the Koryaks are divided into sedentary and wandering (sedentary and nomadic).

The type of Koryaks is in many ways different from the Mongolian: a somewhat flattened head, a round face, small cheekbones, small, lively and bold eyes, a long nose, often humpbacked, a large mouth, a dark complexion, a sparse beard, black hair, cut short in men, women - braided in two braids; the height is moderate, the physique is strong and slender, especially among the Olyutorians.

The Koryak language, generally similar to the Chukchi language, is divided into 5 dialects. Sedentary Koryaks profess Orthodoxy, the majority of nomads belong to shamanism. Koryak idolaters, to appease their gods, sacrifice either deer, placing their heads on large stones facing the east, or dogs, hanging them on high poles around their huts. Among the animals, the wolf (servant of the evil spirit) is revered, whose skin plays an important role in shamanic rituals.

The traditional dwelling of sedentary Koryaks is part of the house, the dwelling of nomads is huts, the conical pole frame of which is covered with reindeer skins. Traditional clothing: kuklyanka - a kind of shirt made of deer skin (with short hair in summer), tied at the waist with a belt, trimmed at the hem with black fur, decorated with beads and metal plates; fur pants, high boots made of deer skin and a large wolf hat; sometimes the hat is replaced by a hood sewn to the doll. The women's festive dress is trimmed with otter and wolverine fur and embroidered with beads.

Sedentary Koryaks are engaged in hunting and fishing. Boats for hunting (canoes) are very light; their wooden frame is covered with seal skins. The meat is used for food, the furs are sold. Dogs are also kept for driving. Some of the sedentary Koryaks prepare warm winter clothes from reindeer skins for sale to visiting traders; They also make items needed in the everyday life of foreigners from iron and walrus tusks (spoons, pipes).

The nomadic Koryaks are engaged almost exclusively in reindeer herding; Some nomads hunt fur-bearing animals. In summer, some Koryaks are busy collecting roots, especially saran bulbs (Lilium). Their main food is reindeer meat and yukola.

They speak the Koryak language, the writing is based on Russian. Some Koryak believers are Orthodox. Traditional beliefs are also common: shamanism, trade cults.

The Koryaks are the indigenous population of the northern part of the Kamchatka Peninsula, who managed to carry their identity and cultural characteristics through the centuries. Yes, their way of life has become more modern, and some unusual traditions have faded into the background. However, despite their small numbers and limited region of residence, they managed to preserve their basic customs.

The most accurate translation of the term “Koryak” would be “owner of deer,” which fully reflects the essence of the main occupation of the people. One version of ethnologists says that people received this name from Russian Cossacks who came to the peninsula in the 17th century. According to another theory, they were nicknamed “Koryaks” by their neighbors, the Yukaghirs.

Koryak fishermen and Koryak reindeer herders

Koryak tribes were not always nomadic. Initially, they were engaged in fishing and led a sedentary life. The need to separate from the main group arose extremely rarely - in years of poor catch, when men were forced to go deep into the peninsula to hunt and stay there for a long time. This began the division of the Koryaks into two main branches: nomadic tundra and sedentary coastal ones.

What is noteworthy is that the people themselves never called themselves “Koryaks”. Other terms have been used in contrast to this term. “Namylan” and “ankalan” to denote settled inhabitants, “chavchuven” and “chauchu” - for nomadic representatives.

In addition to hunting and fishing, other industries were well developed in the villages. The Koryaks have always wisely managed the gifts of nature. Killed animals were used not only for food. Warm closed “kukhlyanka” shirts were made from reindeer skins, which were decorated with ornate patterns from the fur of fur-bearing animals. To make traditional fur felt boots, whole skins of walruses and seals were selected.

The processing of soft materials, in particular sewing and embroidery, was considered an exclusively female occupation. Men did more difficult work: they made figurines, snuff boxes and jewelry from walrus tusks; processed metal, stone and wood.

The Koryaks, cut off from civilization, even came up with a kind of diapers. They were made from the softest skins of deer calves and were equipped with a special pocket with buttons, which was convenient to unbutton and fasten without taking off clothes. A special type of moss was placed in the pocket, which absorbs liquids well and prevents the appearance of diaper rash.

Yarangi - traditional housing of the Koryaks

The personification of home for any Koryak is the yaranga. Its structure is similar to a small yurt covered with deer skins. The warmest place of the yaranga is the canopy or bedroom, which is a small square “room” in the center, covered on all sides with reindeer skins with the fur inward. Previously, the whole family would climb there and, lighting a “zhirnik” (a lamp made from seal oil), would settle down for the night. Then it became so hot in the canopy that even on the coldest nights it was possible to sleep without clothes.

In addition to yarangs, the Koryaks built semi-underground dwellings from logs. The buildings had two entrances: the lower one, leading inside through the vestibule, and the upper one, which simultaneously served as a smoke exhaust. The first was used in the summer, until the building was covered with snow. But as soon as the snow cover became so high that most of the house was hidden under it, the Koryaks climbed inside through the winter entrance. The staircase was very steep and more like a pillar with recessed steps for the feet. Some ethnologists are of the opinion that such northern dugouts were built long before the appearance of yarangs. However, to this day, not a single entire semi-underground house has survived in natural conditions, so they can only be seen in museums.

What did the Koryaks worship?

The Koryaks believed that every thing and surrounding object had a soul. They animated not only animals, but also the entire surrounding world: heavenly bodies, sea, mountains, forest. Each community chose its own sacred place - the appapel - to which they worshiped and sacrificed animals. Often these were deer, less often dogs and Marine life.

The most magnificent celebrations were held in honor of the main industries - hunting and fishing. The Koryaks solemnly “met” and “carried away” the prey (deer, killer whales, whales), performed rituals with the skin, noses and some other parts of the carcasses, which after the ritual were necessarily placed in a place of honor, most often next to family totems. Other cult objects were anyapels (fortune-telling stones), miniature figurines symbolizing ancestors, and boards with anthropomorphic figures for making fire by friction.

The people treated death and the body preparation rituals associated with it with great respect. Premature death was considered the machinations of evil spirits, so the Koryaks regularly performed ritual sacrifices and turned to shamans for protective amulets. Funeral clothing was an obligatory element of funeral and memorial rituals. They started sewing it during their lifetime, but in no case finished it on their own. According to legend, by completing the funeral attire with his own hands, a person brought upon himself a premature death.

For several centuries, the main method of burial remained burning on a bonfire made of dwarf cedar wood. The dead were treated as if they were alive: they had sedate conversations and through them gifts were passed on to previously deceased relatives, food, personal belongings, and weapons were placed on the fire. However, from about the 18th century traditional rituals began to become intertwined with Orthodox funeral traditions and were gradually forgotten.

Koryak folklore: myths and fairy tales, folk music

Koryak writing is one of the youngest. It was created on the basis of the Latin alphabet in 1930, but in this form it existed for a little more than five years (from 1930 to 1936). Afterwards, the language began to be written in the Russian alphabet. The widespread spread of the Russian language negatively affected the native literature of the Koryaks: there were practically no authentic writers left, each new generation knew the language worse and worse. The situation worsened after the Koryak language was no longer taught in Kamchatka schools, excluding it from the educational program.

Nevertheless, there is a lot of interesting things in Koryak folklore. Even without understanding the language, listening to historical legends and traditions, fairy tales, myths and songs is very interesting. The melodies are performed in recitative to the rhythmic accompaniment of a round national tambourine with an internal cross-shaped handle - “g’eynechg’yn”. It should be noted that this term is common to all Koryak musical instruments. It refers to a pipe made of birch bark, and some kind of flute with an external hole, and feather pikas, and even wind instruments.

The stories reflect real events: inter-tribal clashes between the Koryaks, wars between the people and the Evens and Chukchi. Many stories are centered around “Kuykynyaku” - Vorone, who in Koryak culture appears as simultaneously a creator, a prankster and a joker. Some tunes are passed down from generation to generation and are considered ancestral. In children's epics, fairy tales are popular in which the main characters are animals: dogs, bears, mice and sea creatures.

Modern Koryaks: what are they?

Today, the Koryaks still lead an isolated lifestyle, without leaving their usual habitats. And they even have their own autonomy - the Koryak district. According to the 2010 census, the population is about 9,000 people. Moreover, two thirds of the people live in the Kamchatka Territory, the rest in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and the Magadan Region.

The overwhelming majority of modern Koryaks speak Russian and profess Orthodox Christianity. Shamanism is practiced only by certain tribes in which the traditional beliefs of their ancestors are strong. A similar situation exists with the Koryak language - no more than 2,000 people retain it, and about 1,000 more people speak Alyutor.

In an effort to protect the interests of the indigenous population of the Koryak Autonomous Okrug, the Russian government strongly supports public organizations and the nationalization of villages. Local radio and television regularly produce various programs in the Koryak language. In schools, along with Russian, the native language of the Koryaks is required to be taught, and clubs are organized on the traditional way of life and forms of economic management.

It only remains to add that Kamchatka is one of the...

Faces of Russia. “Living together while remaining different”

The multimedia project “Faces of Russia” has existed since 2006, telling about Russian civilization, the most important feature of which is the ability to live together while remaining different - this motto is especially relevant for countries throughout the post-Soviet space. From 2006 to 2012, as part of the project, we created 60 documentaries about representatives of different Russian ethnic groups. Also, 2 cycles of radio programs “Music and Songs of the Peoples of Russia” were created - more than 40 programs. Illustrated almanacs were published to support the first series of films. Now we are halfway to creating a unique multimedia encyclopedia of the peoples of our country, a snapshot that will allow the residents of Russia to recognize themselves and leave a legacy for posterity with a picture of what they were like.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Faces of Russia". Koryaks. “Flight of the “fifth point””, 2010

General information

KOR'YAKI(they did not have a single self-name; group self-names: chavchyv, chav"chu, "reindeer herder"; nymylgyn, "local resident"; nymylg - aremku, "nomadic inhabitant", etc.), people in Russia - 9 thousand people, indigenous population Koryak Autonomous Okrug of the Kamchatka Region (7 thousand) - since July 1, 2007, the Kamchatka Region and the Koryak Autonomous Okrug have been united into one Kamchatka Territory, they also live in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and in the North Evenkiy District of the Magadan Region.

According to the 2002 Census, the number of Koryaks living in Russia is 9 thousand people, according to the 2010 census. - 7 thousand 953 people.

Basic ethnographic groups: Coastal Koryaks, sedentary (Nymylans), Koryaks reindeer, nomadic (Chavchuvens). The Koryaks speak mainly Russian. About two thousand people preserve the Koryak language, about a thousand - the Alutor language. In the Koryak everyday vocabulary, words related to hunting, winter, snow and reindeer herding are developed. Writing on a Russian graphic basis. The Koryak writing system was created in 1931 (in the Latin script), and in 1936 it was translated into Cyrillic. The literary language of the Koryaks is based on the Chavchuven dialect.

Christianity is widespread among the Koryaks ( Russian Orthodoxy), but traditional beliefs (shamanism) also remain strong. The Koryaks protected themselves from death and illness with the help of amulets, as well as by performing various sacrifices. If something happened (for example, an unexpected illness), they turned to shamans for help. At the everyday level, all ailments were explained by the machinations of evil spirits. Consequently, to be cured means to drive away from the patient those spirits that caused the illness. This is what shamans usually did.

The Koryaks have widespread myths and fairy tales about animals (lymnylo). In addition to the Raven (Kuikynnyaku), mice, bears, dogs, fish, and sea animals appear in fairy tales.

Up to the present day, the Koryaks have maintained the customs of levirate and sororate. In the event of the death of the older brother, the younger one had to marry his wife (widow). And take care of her and her children. In the event of the death of his wife, the widower had to marry the sister of the deceased wife.

The first mentions of the Koryaks in Russian documents date back to the 30s and 40s of the 17th century, at which time the ethnonym “Koryaks” first appeared. There is an assumption that it goes back to the Koryak word khora (“deer”).

The Koryaks were divided into two large economic and cultural groups: coastal - fishermen and sea animal hunters, and tundra - reindeer herders. The traditional occupations of the Koryaks are reindeer husbandry, fishing, and marine hunting. The Chavchuvens and most of the Alyutor people were engaged in reindeer husbandry. The traditional economy of the coastal Koryaks is complex. In the economic complex of the sedentary Koryaks, fishing occupied leading place. Fishing was most developed among the Karaginsk, Alyutor and Palan people. Fishing is predominantly river and coastal. Marine hunting in the Seas of Okhotsk and Bering was carried out by all groups of sedentary Koryaks and Alyutor reindeer herders. Fur trade was developed (hunting for sable, fox, otter, ermine, wolverine and squirrel). Gathering was especially widespread among sedentary Koryaks (edible shellfish, wild bird eggs, berries, nuts, willow bark, seaweed, wild sorrel, saran, fireweed, hogweed and other plant and animal products).

Traditional home crafts include processing wood, bone, metal, stone, weaving, and dressing hides. In ancient times, the Koryaks knew pottery. The tree was used to make reindeer and dog sleds, boats, spears, utensils, spear shafts and harpoons, and shuttles for weaving nets. From the bones and horns of deer and mountain sheep, the Koryaks made utensils, knives for cutting fish, picks, knot undoers, pegs and harpoon tips, brakes for reindeer sledges, and combs for combing grass. Stone axes and spearheads were used at the beginning of the 20th century, and scrapers for dressing hides are still used today. Currently, traditional industries: reindeer husbandry and fishing determine the economic direction of the Koryak Autonomous Okrug.

The basic economic unit of all Koryak groups in the 19th and early 20th centuries was the large patriarchal family. Polygamy is known, although it was not widespread at the end of the 19th century. Marriages took place within one local group. The Koryak marriage system excluded first cousins; in a patrilocal marriage, there was work for the wife. The custom of levirate and sororate was observed. There was a strict sexual division of labor.

The only type of settlement among the reindeer herders was a camp consisting of several yarang dwellings. The yaranga had a frame made of poles, which was covered with a tire made of deer skins with sheared fur, the flesh inside. Among the sedentary Koryaks, a semi-dugout with a funnel-shaped structure on the roof and walls made of wooden blocks predominated. In the center of the home there is a hearth. They entered the dugout in winter through the smoke hole. From the mid-18th century, log houses began to appear.

Traditional winter clothing consisted of a fur shirt, pants, bonnet and shoes. Winter clothing is double: the lower one - with the fur towards the body, the upper one - with the fur outward. Most of the kuhlyankas had a hood and the trousers reached the ankles in length. Men's winter shoes with long and short tops were made from reindeer camus with the fur facing out. The soles were usually made of bearded seal skin. Fur stockings were placed inside the shoes. On the road, over the kuhlyanka they wore a kamleika - a wide shirt made of rovduga or cloth. The set of women's winter clothing also included overalls (kerker), a fur shirt (gagaglia), the hood of which replaced the headdress. The summer clothes of the Koryaks had the same cut as the winter clothes, but were made from rovduga, deer skins with sheared fur, dog skins, and purchased fabrics.

The main food of reindeer herders is reindeer meat, mainly boiled. The dried meat was used to prepare a ritual dish - pound (the meat was ground with a pestle, adding roots, fat and berries). They ate frozen meat on the road. All Koryak reindeer groups prepared yukola, and in the summer they diversified their diet with fresh fish. Fish, meat and fat of sea animals constituted the main food of sedentary Koryaks. Most of the fish was consumed in the form of yukola, exclusively salmon. The meat of sea animals was boiled or frozen. Gathering products were consumed everywhere: edible plants, berries, nuts. Fly agaric was used as a stimulant and intoxicant. Since the end of the 19th century, purchased products have become increasingly widespread: flour, cereals, tea, sugar, tobacco.

The folk arts and crafts of the Koryaks are represented by the artistic processing of soft materials (female occupation) and the manufacture of products from stone, bone, wood and metal (male). Fur mosaic stripes in the form of a wide border (opuvan) were sewn onto the hems of the kukhlyankas. The ornament is predominantly geometric, less often floral. Realistic figures of animals and scenes from their lives are often embroidered. Miniature figures of people and animals were carved from walrus tusks and horns, and bone earrings, necklaces, snuff boxes, and smoking pipes were made, decorated with engraved ornaments and drawings.

The traditional worldview is associated with animism. The Koryaks animated the entire world around them: mountains, stones, plants, sea, heavenly bodies. Worship spread sacred places- appapels (hills, capes, cliffs). Sacrifices of dogs and deer are practiced. There are cult objects - anyapels (special stones for fortune telling, sacred boards in the form of anthropomorphic figures for making fire by friction, amulets symbolizing totemistic ancestors, etc.). There was professional and family shamanism.

Traditional holidays are seasonal: in the spring the festival of horns - keelvey, in the fall the festival of reindeer slaughter among reindeer herders. Before the start of the spring sea fishery, coastal hunters held a festival for launching kayaks, and at the end autumn season(in November) seal holiday - Hololo (ololo). There were holidays of the “first fish” and “first seal”. Both coastal and reindeer Koryaks held special religious ceremonies on the occasion of hunting bears, rams, etc., with ritual dances representing naturalistic imitations of the movements of animals and birds: seals, bears, deer, ravens. During the holidays, games and competitions were organized (wrestling, running competitions, deer or dog races, tossing a bearded seal on the skin). IN last decades Professional culture is developing, mainly in the field of choreographic (national dance ensemble "Mengo") and fine arts.

E.P. Batyanova, M.Ya. Zhornitskaya, V.A. Turaev

Essays

THAT WAS A LONG TIME AGO. IT DID NOT STOP RAINING FOR A LONG TIME...

In a popular Soviet film, one heroic sailor proudly uttered the following phrase: “We are few, but we are wearing vests.” This expression was remembered by many, and it began to be used in different cases - on business and without business. For the beauty of style, for fun or just for bragging. But seriously, let’s ask ourselves this question: by what signs does this or that people determine its specialness, its dissimilarity from others? For example, the Koryaks. Their number in the Russian Federation, according to the 2002 census, is 8,743 people (in the Koryak Autonomous Okrug - 6,710). And the phrase “We are few, but we ...” in the mouth of a Koryak could sound like this:

There are few of us, but we know a lot about salmon fish.

There are only a few of us, but we wear fur hats both in winter and summer.

There are few of us, but we have amulets that help us.

There are few of us, but when we dance Mlavytyn, it seems that there are a lot of us...

(The Mlavytyn dance was accompanied by characteristic guttural hoarse singing).

Of course, all these are guesses, assumptions, options, but they are useful in cases where we begin to think about the uniqueness of a particular people.

LEARNING MIND FROM THE RAVEN

Let us dwell on the phrase “We are few, but our legends and fairy tales are the most interesting. Especially about Kuikynnyaku, that is, about Raven.” It is presented differently in different mythological fairy tales. Sometimes as a hero and creator, sometimes as a rogue, a cunning prankster (trickster). In short, Kuikynnyaku’s character is contradictory, and his actions are quite confusing and not unambiguous. And besides, he often changes his appearance: he can appear in human form, or he can easily turn into a Raven.

When reading fairy tales and legends about Kuikynnyaku, you should not try to immediately extract morals or some kind of useful tips for life. Myths are not invented for this purpose, but to create a holistic (cosmic) picture of the world. Or, in other words, myth should influence the subconscious, archaic memory. Or, if you like, a myth is a diary of thousands and thousands of generations, compressed to the size of a short story. Or a series of stories.

Let’s read a small but very important fairy tale “How Kuikynnyaku stopped the rain.” It was recorded by S. N. Stebnitsky in 1928 in the village of Kichiga, Koryak National District, and he also translated it into Russian.

That was a long time ago. The rain did not stop for a long time.

Then Kuikynnyaku said to his sons:

Come on, sons, catch some deer!

The sons caught deer. Kuikynnyaku made a big rook. He drove these deer into it. Then he began to collect all the animals. All sorts of animals came to him. And the mice came too.

The fairy tale doesn't explain anything. It does not explain why the hero begins to act this way and not otherwise. Why do animals appear? Why is the focus on mice? By the way, they are mentioned separately. There is a certain secret, a riddle in this. This is what intrigues the listener who, for example, is hearing or reading this fairy tale for the first time.

THERE WILL BE NO HINTS

It is curious that Kuikynnyaku himself behaves strangely and illogically. He doesn't explain his actions in any way.

As has already been said, the established order of things has been disrupted. It's raining. Something needs to be done. Further events are arranged as follows. Kuikynnyaku makes a team of mice, harnesses them to a boat, and goes to the sea. An important detail: he takes with him a certain amount of fly agaric mushrooms. Just in case. Then Kuikynnyaku reaches the sea. And while traveling, he constantly peers and listens to nature. Suddenly something like this happens. Suddenly he will be given some clear sign from above, or from below, or from the side...

But nothing so significant or fateful happens. It's just completely raining. It doesn't stop pouring. Kuikynnyaku waits all day by the sea for weather, and then (the next day) sets sail. It floats on the sea for a long time. Finally he swims to the island and lands on the shore. He sees a village. Goes there.

Let's make a short stop. Despite the fact that the tale about Kuikynnyaku is told slowly, the events in it happen quickly. For comparison, in Russian fairy tales there is such a beginning: soon the fairy tale is told, but not soon the deed is done. Here it is exactly the opposite. The fairy tale is slow and in no hurry, but things and events are rushing at full speed.

Kuikynnyaku comes to the village, driven by some incomprehensible force, and sees: a woman sitting, combing her hair.

Coming climax. The hero must find out the main thing: why, for what reason, it has been raining for so long. The situation is again incredibly strange. There are no clues. Neither from above, nor from below, nor from the side. But you have to guess the correct answer right away. Weigh the options, like in the game “What? Where? When?" it is forbidden. And Kuikynnyaku, looking at the woman who is combing her hair, immediately gives the correct answer - with a remark to the side:

Yep, that's what makes it rain!

The most interesting thing is that the woman does not even suspect the reason for the appearance of Kuikynnyaku before her bright eyes. This is a common occurrence for her. You never know who comes to the island. Apparently, travelers, wanderers and vagabonds are a dime a dozen. She simply asks Raven:

Will you pass by or stop here?

Kuikynnyaku answers evasively: “I’ll spend the night, and tomorrow I’ll go further!”

And the woman keeps combing her hair. Consequently, the rain continues to fall. As a guest, Kuikynnyaku begins to treat the woman to exotic fly agaric mushrooms. She eats them and gets drunk. This is all our hero Raven needs. He cuts off the hair of an intoxicated woman. Everything - down to a single hair. Then he takes off her clothes and buries her in the ground. And at the same time he shouts out, as if setting himself up for a heroic act:

Wait, I’ll completely torment you!

A drunk woman is shaking from the cold, but by inertia she reaches to her head to comb her hair, which in fact is no longer there.

Kuikynnyaku, who acts on instinct, fears that everything will return to normal. Therefore, just in case, he cuts off the woman’s eyebrows and eyelashes.

AND THE MOUSE WAS USEFUL

This is where the fun begins. Kuikynnyaku acted radically, but he is not confident of success. Suddenly he did everything wrong. To make sure that what he did was correct, he sends a mouse home to see if the sky has cleared.

The mouse swims home and soon returns. Good news: no rain, sunny.

From a hero, as they say, bribes are easy. He won, he won. The winner, of course, is not judged and will never be judged. And the woman is freezing and begs for her clothes to be returned. But Kuikynnyaku does not return anything to her. Not because he's bad. This issue is not even addressed in this story. But because the logic of the myth is strange, absurd. Who knows, if you return the woman’s clothes, she will warm up and again begin to do something that will disrupt the established picture of the world.

The fairy tale ends with a unique happy ending. Kuikynnyaku is simply returning home. That's all. No applause, no cheers, no festive fun. This is all from the evil one. The world has simply returned to normal. Became normal again. And the clan (people) can calmly continue to live. It is this, the life and fate of the clan, that seems to be valued above all else by the Koryaks (and not only by them, but also by other small peoples).

The Koryaks have widespread myths and fairy tales about animals (lymnylo). In addition to the Raven (Kuikynnyaku), fairy tales feature mice, bears, dogs, fish, and sea animals.

The Koryaks also have historical narratives (panenatvo). They reflect real events of the past. For example, the wars of the Koryaks with the Chukchi, with the Evens, as well as various inter-tribal clashes.

THE GROOM CHASED THE BRIDE

It is interesting to trace how mythological (archaic) consciousness influences social life. Most likely, this does not happen directly, but indirectly. Through a series of sustainable habits and rituals. Among the Koryaks, the basis of social life was a large patriarchal community that united closely related people. And if the community was engaged in reindeer herding, then distant relatives on the paternal side helped it. The oldest man was at the head of the community. Before getting married, the groom was required to serve a probationary period in the household of his future father-in-law. By the way, the “idea” is very good, because over time probationary period everyone gets the opportunity to look at each other and get used to each other. Again, it is useful to assess the groom's strengths and abilities.

Let's say the probationary period has ended, the groom has shown himself to be the best side. This means you can have a wedding - without delay. And this is where archaic consciousness (ancestral memory) makes itself felt. The groom is destined for another test, the roots of which go back to the distant past. This is the so-called rite of grasping. The groom must catch the fleeing bride and touch her body. All this is similar to the situation when a hunter stalks his prey.

The simplicity of this ritual is striking. In any case, the boy groom will catch up with the girl bride. Everything is too simple, there are few obstacles. Those who have read fairy tales, they know that the groom (prince, prince, prince) must go through fire, water and copper pipes, before he gets a princess, princess, princess as his wife. But we must not forget that this whole complex series of tests is a later “writer’s” invention. The Koryak community, as a clan unit, cannot send a groom to distant lands. And besides, on long years. The groom already showed his best side during the probationary period. He demonstrated his best qualities, therefore, there is no point in dragging his feet and prolonging the tests. The “turbulent sea of human passions” urgently needs to be brought to a stable family norm. That is why after “the groom’s hand grabbed the hand of the fleeing bride,” a transition to a new life follows. A young wife finds herself in her husband's house. And through a series of rituals, she is introduced to the hearth and family cult.

Until the twentieth century, the Koryaks retained the customs of levirate and sororate. If, God forbid, the older brother died, then the younger one had to marry his wife (widow). And take care of her and her children. This is levirate. And if the wife died, then the widower had to marry the sister of the deceased wife. This is sororate. The question of love or mutual sympathy does not even arise. Death is a violation of the usual picture of the world, like a hole in the ozone layer. It must be sewn up, patched up, liquidated at any cost. And the dead are immediately replaced by the living. And life goes on.

A person of Western European culture, focused on individual existence and selfish consciousness, may get the impression that the emotional life of the Koryaks was dull and uninteresting. This is clearly a fallacy. Emotional life was regulated - that's a fact, but that didn't make it any less interesting. It would be more accurate to say this: the Koryaks “turned on” their emotions and intensely showed them during holidays and rituals.

TO THE SHAMAN FOR HELP

The main rituals and holidays of the sedentary Koryaks of the 20th - early 20th centuries are dedicated to the fishing of sea animals. These are ceremonial meetings and farewells, for example, of whales, killer whales, and fur-bearing animals. It is interesting that after the ritual was performed, the skins, noses, and paws of the “killed animals” passed into a new quality. They became home amulets, family guardians. And again, what is striking about this picture of the world is that there is nothing superfluous in it, no garbage. Every thing and every living creature has its place under the sun and under the moon, on earth and in heaven.

Let's name a few more important Koryak holidays. The main autumn festival of the nomadic Koryaks - Koyanaitatyk ("Drive the deer") - was held after the return of herds from summer pastures. After the winter solstice, reindeer herders celebrated the “return of the sun.” On this day there were competitions in reindeer sled racing, wrestling, and running with sticks. The competitors threw a lasso at a target moving in a circle and climbed onto an icy pole. Need I say that emotions run high during such holidays?

The Koryaks also developed life cycle rituals that accompanied weddings, the birth of children, and funerals. How to protect yourself from diseases when there are no healers around? The Koryaks protected themselves from death and illness with the help of amulets, as well as by performing various sacrifices. If something happened (for example, an unexpected illness), they turned to shamans for help. At the everyday level, all ailments were explained by the machinations of evil spirits. Consequently, to be cured means to drive away from the patient those spirits that caused the illness. This is what shamans usually did.

The Koryaks prepared funeral clothing during their lifetime. But they left it unfinished. There was a belief that if clothes were sewn, death would come.

And death, according to the Koryaks, is a violation of the usual picture of the world. Something like a hole in the “ozone sphere of existence.” Of course, this is a modern image. What did the Koryak burial ritual look like?

Firstly, while the deceased is in the home, sleeping is strictly prohibited. Harsh, but at the same time fair. Sleepless Koryaks get the opportunity to remember all the good things that connected them with the deceased. Secondly, the funeral clothes need to be finished. An interesting detail: it is finished off with a large, ugly seam. As if in violation of all aesthetic norms! Apparently, when death is nearby, there is no time for beauty. This is too European a point of view. It would be more accurate to say this: a large, ugly seam, and next to it even “stitch-paths” - these are like two different spheres, the junction of being and non-existence.

The deceased Koryak passed into another world through the ritual of burning. The deceased was burned on a bonfire made of dwarf cedar. It is useful for people of Western culture to take a close look at this part of the Koryak funeral ritual in order to grasp the essence of a different, non-European, “circle of things.” Together with the deceased, the deceased’s belongings, basic necessities, bows, arrows, and food were placed on the fire. As well as gifts for previously deceased relatives. From the point of view of some Plyushkin, the action is completely unreasonable. Some kind of unplanned waste of material! But the whole point is that things in the world of patriarchal-communal relations function not according to material laws, but according to spiritual ones. Things are included in a continuous chain of rituals and sacrifices. In themselves they are of value only in the space of an ethnographic museum.

VAKKY IN KORYAK - TO BE!

Koryaks speak Koryak... This is one of the many Chukchi-Kamchatka languages. It includes several dialects: Chavchuvensky, Apukinsky, Kamensky, Itkansky and Parensky.

Characteristic features of the phonetics of the Koryak language: synharmonicity of vowels, absence of vibrant /r/. Presence of a postvaral fricative. There are other linguistic “tricks”: distactic assimilation of dental consonants by palatalization, increment of an additional syllable after monosyllabic stems. This aspect will be more clear if we compare it with the Chukchi language. The verb “to be” in the Chukchi version is vyk, in the Koryak version it is vakky.

The Koryak language has well-developed lexical means used in such topics as hunting, winter, snow, and reindeer herding. The Koryak script was created in 1931 (in the Latin script), and in 1936 it was translated into Cyrillic. The literary language of the Koryaks is based on the Chavchuven dialect.

In recent decades, the Koryaks have successfully developed a professional culture, mainly in the choreographic sphere (dance ensemble “Mange”). Associations of amateur artists and writers have been created in the Koryak district. The works of the artist Kirill Kilpalin and the writer Koyanto (V. Kosygin) are especially popular.

Koryak music is special. It is represented by singing, recitative, throat wheezing while inhaling and exhaling. Songs, as a rule, are divided into nominal and generic ones. In them, the Koryaks reproduce local and family tunes.

For all musical instruments there is common name- g'eynechg'yn. This word can mean a wind instrument similar to an oboe, with a squeak made of feathers and a bell made of birch bark, as well as a flute made from the hogweed plant with an outer slit without playing holes, and a squeak made of bird feathers, and a trumpet made of birch bark. Let us also mention the plate-shaped jew's harp (this is a dental tambourine in the form of a bone or iron plate) and a round tambourine with a flat shell and an internal cross-shaped handle with vertebrae on a bracket with inside shells.

It seems to us that other people can be understood through fairy tales and legends, through songs and rituals. Through music too. Let's not forget about the riddles. The Koryaks have special ones. Researchers have found that typical Koryak riddles are characterized by the form of a direct question. That is, the guesser does not go around in circles, does not obscure, does not confuse the listener, but immediately reveals the problem. And thus sends the guesser to the essence of things. We also propose to guess three Koryak riddles. They are not complicated. And in principle, it is possible to guess them.

What's non-stop?

Europeans will say it's time. And a wise Koryak will say that it is a river.

Who is this old man who eats hot food?

To solve this riddle, you need to eat a pound of salt and a hundredweight of meat with the Koryaks. And the correct answer is: “old man” is a hook used to remove meat from the cauldron.

And a completely unexpected mystery. It’s not really a mystery, but some kind of philosophical paradox, though only at first impression.

What's insatiable?

The answer is: the door. Why is the door insatiable? Yes, because we feed her keys every day, but she still wants to eat.

People in the Russian Federation. Indigenous population of the Koryak Autonomous Okrug. They also live in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and the Magadan Region. The Koryak language of the Chukchi-Kamchatka family of Paleo-Asian languages. Number of people: 8942 people.

Koryak is an ethnonym that began to be used in the 17th century. Its origin is associated with the formants (k o r) - “deer” and (a k) - “located at”, “with”, i.e. "deer".

The ethnic territory of the Koryaks is located in the north of the Kamchatka Peninsula.

The number in the Russian Federation is 8942 people.

Economically and culturally, the Koryaks are divided into two groups. Reindeer herders (Chavchuvens), monolithic in cultural terms, are represented by several territorial groups that roamed the mainland tundra from the Kamchatka Isthmus to the upper reaches of the left tributaries of the river. Kolyma.

Coastal Koryaks (Nymylans), more diverse in economic and cultural terms. Sometimes they are designated as ethnoterritorial groups: Kamenets, Parenets, Itkintsy (coast of the Penzhinskaya Bay of the Sea of Okhotsk), Apukintsy (Bringomorsky coast of Kamchatka, north of the Pakhachi River basin). Further to the north are the Kereks (currently considered as an independent people, numbering about 100 people). The Karaginians live to the south, along the eastern coast of Kamchatka, and parallel to them, on the western coast, the Palans live. The cultural and economic status of the Olyutor people, who settle on the east coast from the Gulf of Corfu to the south and have settlements on the Okhotsk coast, is more difficult to determine. Their economy is a combination of reindeer husbandry, fishing and hunting. Currently, the Olyutorians are distinguished as an independent people (numbering about 2OOO people). The differences between the listed groups are fixed in the language at the dialect level, and in culture, in the ratio of the main types of economic activity (for example: among the Padans, fishing predominates, and among the Kamenets, hunting for sea animals predominates).

Koryaks, like other Paleo-Asian peoples northeastern Siberia, belong to the mainland group of populations of the Arctic race of Mongoloids (see: Itelmens).

The Koryak language is part of the Chukchi-Kamchatka group of Paleo-Asian languages, in which it is closest to the Chukchi language. This closeness is explained by linguists by the commonality of the linguistic substrate from which, in different time periods, languages were isolated modern peoples Northeast Siberia. At first, it was the Itelmen language, which long time developed autonomously, and then Chukchi and Koryak, which coexisted longer in a substrate state, and then, in conditions of fairly active contacts between these peoples. The cultural and economic diversity of the Koryaks in the structure of their language is reflected in dialects, the names of which correspond to the distinguished groups: Chavchuvensky, Kamensky, Apukinsky, Parensky, Itkansky, Olyutorsky, Karaginsky, Palansky, Kereksky. As noted above, in connection with the opinion about the possibility of giving the Olyutorians and Kereks the status of an independent ethnic community, their dialects also receive the status of independent languages.

In 1932, under the leadership of V.G. Bogoraz, S.N. Stebnitsky prepared the “Red Letter” - the first primer in the Koryak language. The difficulty of spreading literacy among the Koryaks lay in the division of their language into two dialect groups - northern and southern - each of which consisted of dialects - 4 and 3, respectively. Along with them, another dialect of the Koryak reindeer herders, Chauchu, stood out. Since the Chauchus make up about half the number of Koryaks, it was their language that was taken as the basis for the creation of writing, educational and mass literature. In the 1937/1938 academic year, teaching was transferred to an alphabet with a Russian graphic basis.

Koryak believers are Orthodox.

The history of the Koryaks is associated with the autochthonous basis of the formation of their culture. In the basin of the Sea of Okhotsk, archaeologists have identified monuments of the so-called. Okhotsk culture (1st millennium AD, culture of sea hunters, fishermen, wild deer hunters), in which the features of the Koryak can be traced cultural tradition, in relative chronological continuity up to the ancient Koryak settlements of the 16th - 11th centuries. The basis of the Okhotsk culture was formed by intracontinental Neolithic traditions (Baikal region) and southeastern components (Amur region).

The Koryaks interacted most closely with the Itelmens, which is recorded in almost all spheres of culture. From the 11th century The most significant factor determining the appearance of Koryak culture is Koryak-Russian ties.

Living together with Russians, especially coastal Koryaks, changed their economy and way of life. Reindeer Koryaks in to a greater extent preserved the characteristics of their culture. Thus, the appearance of the ethnic culture of the Koryaks was influenced by both regional factors in the formation of Paleo-Asian peoples and ethnocultural ties with their neighbors.

The ethnic culture of the Koryaks is represented by two economic and cultural types. The basis of the Koryak-Chavchuven economy is reindeer husbandry, which is supplemented by hunting and fishing. Sedentary Koryaks were engaged in fishing, sea and land hunting, but for different territorial groups of sedentary Koryaks, the importance of these types of economy could change. Among the Alyutor people, reindeer husbandry is complemented by a commercial complex.

Reindeer husbandry of the Koryak-Chavchuvens is large herd and, in terms of organization and productive orientation, corresponds to Samoyed. Regional differences are recorded in shorter routes of seasonal migrations, summer grazing in the mountains and division of camps, and the absence of a herding dog. Olyutor residents are characterized by a lower supply of reindeer farms and cooperation of low-reindeer farms, and a greater share of fisheries. Koryak reindeer herders were characterized by highly specialized reindeer transport.

The basis of the economy of the sedentary Koryaks was fishing (Karagintsy, Olyutortsy, Palantsy), sea hunting (Penzhintsy, Apukintsy). At the beginning of the 20th century. 63% of Koryak households hunted sea animals. Unlike fur hunting, which before the arrival of the Russians of great importance did not have, the Koryaks hunted bear, mountain sheep, and wild deer. A feature of the culture of sedentary Koryaks was sled dog breeding, more diverse means of transportation on water, which had much in common with the Chukchi and Eskimo.

The specifics of the fishery, coastal fishing and the extraction of marine animals, determined the nature of settlement. Coastal Koryak settlements were located along river banks, often in estuaries and on the sea coast.

The main type of dwelling was a half-dugout, which differed from similar buildings of other peoples of Siberia by a funnel-shaped structure on the roof; the settlements had piled outbuildings. The main type of dwelling of the reindeer Koryaks was a portable dwelling - yaranga.