They live in northeast Russia. Writing has existed since 1931 on a Latin basis, and since 1936 on a Russian graphic basis.
By the beginning of contact with the Russians in the 18th century, they were divided into nomadic (self-name chav'chu - “reindeer herder”) and sedentary (self-name nymyl'o - “residents”, “villagers”), which, in turn, fell into several separate groups: Karagintsy (karan'ynyl'o), Alutortsy (alutal'u), Parentsy (poityl'o), Kamentsy (vaikynel'o), etc. Neighboring peoples, Chukchi and Eskimos, they called them tann'yt - “foreigner”, “enemy”, the Yukaghirs - karaka, the Evens called the sedentary Koryaks heekel - “the one who shows up from behind the hill”, and the nomadic ones - chan'-chivar - “gathered many-reindeer " Nomadic people were settled in the interior regions of Kamchatka and the adjacent mainland, sedentary (coastal) people were settled on the eastern and western coasts of Kamchatka, in the area of Penzhinskaya Bay and the Taygonos Peninsula.
The sedentary economy combined hunting, fishing, land hunting and gathering. Sea hunting, the main occupation of the Koryaks of the Penzhina Bay (Itkans, Parents and Kamenets), also played an important role among the Alyutors, Apukins and Karagins, and to a lesser extent among the Palans. The hunting season, which was individual in the spring and collective in the fall, began in late May - early June and lasted until October. The main weapons were the harpoon (v'emek) and nets. During the hunt, they used leather kayaks (kultaytvyyt - “boat made of bearded seal skins”) and single-seat canoes-kayak (mytyv). They hunted bearded seals, seals, akiba, sealed seals, and lionfish. Until the middle of the nineteenth century. the sedentary Koryaks of the Penzhina Bay and the Alyutor people hunted cetaceans. The Apukinians, Alyutorians and Karaginians were engaged in hunting walruses. By the end of the 19th century, as a result of the extermination of whales and walruses by American whalers, the harvest of these animals declined, and fishing began to play a primary role in the economy. They caught mainly salmon fish. They used locks, fixed and net type nets (with a net bag), fishing rods (eeg'unen) and hooks on a long strap, reminiscent of a harpoon. Fishing was supplemented by hunting ungulates, fur-bearing and other animals and birds, collecting wild berries, edible roots, and among the Karagins and Palans - vegetable gardening and cattle breeding.
Among the hunting weapons, traps, crossbows, nets, pressure-type traps (when the guard breaks and the log crushes the animal), cherkans, etc. were common, and from the end of the 18th century. firearms became the main weapon. Among the Alyutor people in the 19th century. Reindeer husbandry developed. Deer were most often purchased in exchange for marine hunting products and goods received from Russian merchants.
The nomadic Koryaks (Chavchuvens) were characterized by large-scale reindeer herding with a herd size of 400 to 2000 heads. During the year, reindeer herders made four main migrations: in the spring - before calving, to reindeer pastures, in the summer - to places where there were fewer midges (blood-sucking insects - mosquitoes, midges, etc.), in the fall - closer to the camps where the mass slaughter of reindeer took place , and in winter - short migrations near the camps. The main tools of labor of the shepherds were a lasso (chav'at) - a long rope with a loop for catching deer, a staff and a stick in the form of a boomerang (curved in a special way and returning after being thrown to the shepherd), with the help of which they collected the stray part of the herd. In winter, nomads hunted fur-bearing animals.
The winter and summer dwelling of the nomadic Koryaks was a frame portable yaranga (yayana) - a cylindrical-conical dwelling, the basis of which was made up of three poles from three and a half to five meters high, placed in the form of a tripod and tied at the top with a belt. Around them, in the lower part of the yaranga, forming an irregular circle with a diameter of four to ten meters, low tripods were placed, tied with a belt and interconnected by transverse crossbars.
The upper conical part of the yaranga consisted of inclined poles resting on transverse crossbars, the tops of tripods and the upper ends of three main poles. A tire made of sheared or worn deer skins with the fur facing out was pulled over the frame of the yaranga. Along the walls, fur sleeping canopies (yoyona) were tied to additional poles, shaped like a box turned upside down, 1.3-1.5 m high, 2-4 m long, 1.3-2 m wide. The number of canopies was determined by the number of family couples living in yaranga. The floor under the canopy was covered with willow or cedar branches and deer skins.
The predominant type of dwelling among the sedentary Koryaks was a half-dugout (Lymgyyan, Yayana) up to 15 m long, up to 12 wide and up to 7 m high, during the construction of which eight vertical pillars were dug into a round hole from one to one and a half meters deep along the circumference and four in the center. Between the outer pillars, two rows of logs were driven, split lengthwise and forming the walls of the dwelling. They were fastened at the top with transverse beams. From the square frame connecting the four central pillars and forming the upper entrance and smoke hole, the blocks of the octagonal roof ran to the upper transverse beams of the walls. To protect against snow drifts, the Koryaks of the west coast built a funnel-shaped bell of poles and blocks around the hole, and the Koryaks of the east coast built a barrier of rods or mats. A corridor sunk into the ground with a flat roof was attached to one of the walls facing the sea. The walls, roof and corridor of the dwelling, caulked with dry grass or moss, were covered with earth on top. The hearth, consisting of two oblong stones, was located at a distance of 50 cm from the central log with notches, along which they descended through the upper hole in winter. During the fishing season they entered through a side corridor. Inside the dwelling, on the side opposite the corridor, a platform was installed for receiving guests. Sleeping curtains made from old deer skins or old fur clothes were hung along the side walls.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century. under the influence of Russian settlers, log huts of the Russian type appeared among the Palans, Karagins, Apukins and Koryaks on the northwestern coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. By the end of the nineteenth century. Among the Karaginsk, Alyutor and partly Palan people, land-based dwellings of the Yakut type (booth) became widespread, in which the windows were covered with the intestines of sea animals or bears. An iron or brick stove with a chimney was installed in the center, and wooden bunks were built along the walls.
The clothes were loose cut. Reindeer herders sewed it mainly from reindeer skins; coastal herders used the skins of sea animals along with reindeer skins. Clothes were decorated with the fur of dogs and fur-bearing animals. In winter they wore double clothing (with fur inside and out), and in summer they wore single clothing.
The main food of the reindeer Koryaks was deer meat, which was often eaten boiled; they also consumed willow bark and seaweed. Coastal residents ate the meat of sea animals and fish. Since the 18th century purchased products appeared: flour, rice, crackers, bread and tea. Flour porridge was cooked in water, deer or seal blood, and rice porridge was eaten with seal or deer fat.
The main social unit was a large patriarchal (from the Latin pater - father, arche - power) family community, uniting close relatives on the paternal side, and sometimes distant relatives in the case of reindeer. At its head stood the oldest man. The marriage was preceded by the groom working on the farm of his future father-in-law. After the expiration of the working period, the so-called “grabbing” ritual was performed, which gave the right to marriage (the groom had to catch the fleeing bride and touch her body). The transition to the husband's house was accompanied by rituals of introducing the wife to the hearth and family cult. Until the beginning of the twentieth century. the customs of levirate (from Latin levir - brother-in-law, husband's brother: if an older brother died, the younger one had to marry his wife and take care of her and her children), sororate (from Latin soror - sister: a widower must marry the sister of the deceased) were preserved wives), remnants of group marriage, leading to polygamy.
A typical coastal Koryak settlement united several related families. There were production associations, incl. canoe (using one canoe), the core of which was a large patriarchal family. Other relatives who were engaged in fishing were grouped around her.
The reindeer herders' camp, the head of which was the owner of most of the reindeer herd, who led not only the economic but also the social life of the camp, numbered from two to six yarangas. Within the camp, connections were based on joint herding of reindeer, cemented by kinship and marriage ties, and supported by ancient traditions and rituals. Starting from the 18th century, among the nomadic Koryaks, property differentiation (stratification), caused by the development of private ownership of reindeer, led to the emergence of poor farm laborers who may not have been related to other members of the camp.
At the beginning of the twentieth century. there is a destruction of patriarchal-communal relations among the settled Koryaks. This is caused by the transition to individual species economic activity: production of small sea animals, fur hunting, fishing and development at the end of the 19th century. reindeer husbandry among the Alyutor people, partly the Palans.
The main holidays of the sedentary Koryaks of the 19th - early 20th centuries. dedicated to the fishing of marine animals. Their main moments are the meeting and ceremonial farewell of the captured animals. Until the beginning of the twentieth century. fishing rituals were widespread. They were performed on the occasion of the capture of an animal and were associated with the belief in its “revival” and “return” to the hunters in the next season (celebration of whales, killer whales, etc.). After performing the rituals, the skins of the killed animals, noses, and paws were tied to a bunch of family “guardians” to ensure good luck in the hunt.
Quotes:
“...It’s a rare Koryak who lives to see his 60th birthday. The average life expectancy in Koryakin is 10-15 years less than on the mainland. The birth rate is decreasing and the infant mortality rate is increasing. If throughout Russia this figure is 16, then in Koryakin among indigenous residents there are 35 deaths per 1000 births. The county's population is projected to decrease by 28% by 2015. In short, if anyone survives, they will flee to the mainland.
He will escape from a land abounding in fish, fur-bearing animals, platinum and gold...
... Features of the digestive system of the Koryaks, Itelmens, Chukchis. Their stomachs are good at digesting practically rotten fish heads or pickled meat - what their ancestors ate from time immemorial. Having switched, so to speak, to a civilized diet, the Koryaks acquired diseases of the digestive system. They have a particularly high percentage of stomach and esophageal cancer. But the main thing is that the bodies of indigenous northerners lack alcohol dehydrogenase, an enzyme that breaks down alcohol into component, less toxic substances. Therefore, alcoholism among the Koryaks occurs almost after the first dose.”
Koryaks(there is no single self-name; group self-names: Chavchyv, Chavchu, Nymylgyn) - people, indigenous inhabitants of the Kamchatka Peninsula. They inhabit the Koryak Autonomous Okrug of the Kamchatka Region, the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, as well as the northern regions of the Magadan Region.
Based on their place of residence and cultural and economic type, the Koryaks, like the Chukchi, are divided into two groups - tundra (reindeer, nomadic reindeer herders) and coastal (sedentary, coastal, “sedentary” Koryaks, sea hunters, fishermen, hunters).
The number in Russia is 8.9 thousand people. They speak the Koryak language, which belongs to the Chukchi-Kamchatka group of Paleo-Asian languages. The closest neighbors of the Koryaks are the Chukchi. The total number of Koryaks before the arrival of the Russians was about 10 thousand people.
Ethnonym
The Koryaks did not have a single self-name. Group self-name: chyvchavyv(units) chavchyv, chavchuv) – reindeer herder, “rich in reindeer”, to designate the reindeer Koryaks; nomylu(units) nomylyn), nomylgyn,“local resident”, villager - the self-name of the coastal Koryaks. The name “Koryak” (XVII century) comes from the Koryak root core- "deer". The basis for the name was the locative form of this root - korak, those. "located with the deer." According to another version, the ethnonym “Koryak” was borrowed by the Russians from the Yukagirs or Evens, who called the Koryaks kӓrӓko (Yukagir name) or heëkel (“the one who appears from behind the hill” - the Even name).
Number
The number of Koryaks in 1989 in the USSR was 9242 people, incl. in the Russian Federation - 8942. In the Koryak Autonomous Okrug there are 6572 Koryaks (71% of the total). In the Magadan region - about 11% (1013 people). A noticeable migration of the Koryaks outside their traditional habitat is becoming noticeable. So, if the total number of Koryaks increased in 1970-1989. by 25%, then in the Koryak Autonomous Okrug only by 11%. In 2002, the number of Koryaks in Russia amounted to 8,743 people.
Language
The first information about the Koryak language was collected by S.P. Krasheninnikov in the middle of the 18th century. Until the beginning of the 20th century. The Koryak language was almost never studied. Its study was resumed and put on a scientific basis by V.G. Bogoraz. In the works of scientists, the relationship of the Koryak language with other languages of the Chukotka-Kamchatka group was justified. The Koryak language is represented by a number of dialects, the most widespread of which is the Chavchuven dialect. It is the basis for Koryak writing on a Russian graphic basis. The dialects of the Koryak language have been little studied.
Story
The problem of the origin of the Koryaks has not yet been sufficiently developed. Archaeological finds of remains of dwellings, ceramics, stone and bone tools on the territory of the northwestern part of Kamchatka and the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk should be attributed to the ancestors of modern coastal Koryaks. Ancient ancestors Primorsky Koryaks are tribes of the ancient Koryak culture of the Okhotsk coast, which developed during the Neolithic period on the basis of hunting and fishing. At the turn of the 1st century. BC e. – I in n. e. The ancient Koryak culture developed into the culture of sea hunters. In ancient times, the process of formation of the Koryak ethnic community took place. As a result of the transition to sea hunting and sedentism, there was a gradual separation of individual groups of ancient Koryaks and the fragmentation of the ancient Koryak language into a number of dialects. The question of the time of introduction of the Koryaks to reindeer husbandry and the ways of its spread remains open. It is assumed that reindeer husbandry developed among the coastal Koryaks as a result of their contacts with the Tungus tribes in the Penzhinskaya Bay area and on the eastern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula adjacent to Chukotka. There is another point of view on the ethnogenesis of the Koryaks, according to which the ancestors of the Koryaks during the Neolithic period inhabited the areas of central Chukotka, from where in the 2nd millennium BC. advanced to the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, where they adopted a coastal way of life.
Monuments of oral folk art the extreme northeast indicate a close relationship between the Koryaks and the Chukchi, Evens, Yukaghirs, and Itelmens. These relations were expressed, on the one hand, in intertribal exchanges, and on the other, in military clashes between the coastal and reindeer Koryaks.
The first information about the Koryaks was received in the middle. XVII century from the Cossacks Semyon Dezhnev and Mikhail Stadukhin. The Russian movement to Kamchatka began with the campaign of Morozko (1690) and V. Atlasov (1697 - 1998). From the second floor. XVIII century Close trade relations are established between the Koryaks and Russians.
Housing
Winter nomadic tents of the reindeer Koryaks
The dwelling of the Koryak reindeer herders was the yaranga ( yayaaa– in the Chavchuven dialect; raraa- in the Alyutor dialect). It was a tent, cylindrical at the base, conical at the top, with a frame of poles and a cover made of deer skins with the hair facing out. There were usually from two to five yarangs at the camp. The dwelling of almost all coastal Koryaks was a semi-dugout ( lymgyyan), the basis of which was a vast pit 1-1.5 m deep, lined inside with vertical logs in the form of a palisade in the shape of an irregular octagon. The roof vault had the shape of a truncated cone with an outer flange in the shape of a funnel. A hole was left at the top of the roof, which served as an outlet for smoke, a light window and an exit from the dugout in winter. A thick log with notched steps was used as a ladder. Several families could live in a semi-dugout. In the summer, fishermen lived in frame buildings on platforms.
WITH late XIX V. some Koryaks began to live in Russian-style log huts. Currently, Koryaks live in villages with standard houses, reindeer herders live in yarangas and huts.
Food
The main food of the Koryak reindeer herders was reindeer meat, usually boiled. Coastal residents ate fish and meat of sea animals. IN large quantities The Koryaks ate various edible plants as seasonings for meat dishes and as separate dishes. Since the end of the 19th century. Purchased products began to become increasingly widespread: flour, cereals, tea, sugar. Leaf tobacco was very common. Fly agaric was used as a stimulant and intoxicant.
Farm
In the past, the Koryaks were divided into nine territorial groups, the largest of which were Chavchuvens- reindeer herders, who made up half of the entire nation, and Alyutorians, who inhabited the vast territory of the Kamchatka Isthmus (the coast of the Bering Sea and the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk) were typical reindeer herders; fur hunting was a secondary occupation, and fishing also did not play a significant role. In the economy of the Alyutor people there was a rare combination of fishing and sea fishing with reindeer herding. The remaining seven groups of Koryaks were also characterized by a complex type of economy.
Reindeer husbandry was of two types: large-herd and small-herd. Large-scale reindeer herding existed among the Koryak-Chavchuvens. Their herds numbered up to 10 thousand deer. Reindeer husbandry was nomadic. Herding of deer was carried out by shepherds without the help of dogs. In winter, the herd grazed near the camp. During the winter, the entire camp made several migrations to new pastures. In the summer, shepherds drove the herd to the mountains, where there was abundant food for the reindeer. The camps were located at this time of year along the banks of rivers. In the fall, shepherds drove the flock to the camp. According to the first snow, the herd and camp migrated to the winter pastures. Deer provided the main food product - meat and the main material for clothing and housing - skins and sinews from which threads were made. Deer also served as the only means of transportation among the Chavchuvens.
Small-herd reindeer herding existed among the Alyutor Koryaks. Their herds numbered in rare cases 1000 deer. A characteristic feature of Alyutor reindeer husbandry was the use of dogs as mounts. Each household had several dog sleds. The Alutorians made only short trips on reindeer. The Alyutor people were characterized by a combination of reindeer husbandry with sea fishing and fishing. In the spring, all Alyutor residents went to sea fishing to hunt floating ice. In the summer, during the fish season, the Alyutor people migrated to the mouths of rivers, where, together with the Chavchuvens, they stored fish for the winter. At this time, the reindeer herds remained under the supervision of young people. The second type of Koryak reindeer husbandry arose much later than the first.
Northern sedentary Koryaks were engaged in fishing for sea animals, which was divided into two seasons: spring and autumn. The spring season began in mid-March and ended in the second half of June. The autumn season began in mid-September and ended in the second half of November. They went sea hunting in kayaks and longboats. In ancient times, the Koryaks developed whale fishing. According to legend, it was hunted using a large net woven from thick belts. The net was attached to coastal rocks and cliffs. Hunters drove a whale into a net, which became entangled in it. Hunters finished off a whale driven into a net with spears and harpoons, then pulled it ashore.
Belts and soles for shoes were made from the skins of sea animals. Meat and fat were used for food and stocked up for future use. The fat also served for lighting. Surplus sea products were exchanged for reindeer herding products.
Among the eastern and western sedentary Koryaks of the Bering Sea coast, the basis of their economy was reindeer husbandry. Fishing took place throughout the summer and early autumn. The most common method of fishing among the Koryaks was constipation, when the river was blocked from both banks by converging fences made of rods and stakes. They also caught fish using an iron hook “marika” and a net “scoop”.
Most of the catch was used to prepare yukola, which was the main food for people and the main food for dogs all year. The finished yukola was stored in barns - huts on high stilts, covered with dry grass. The preparation of yukola was usually done by women.
An important tool in the economy of sedentary and nomadic Koryaks was hunting, which was carried out by men. Bears, tarabagans, wild deer, and mountain sheep were hunted for meat. Fur-bearing animals included fox, wolverine, hares, ermines, and Kamchatka sable. Sables were caught with a net, a trap was set for ermine, other animals were beaten with arrows, and later with guns.
The collection of edible plants played a significant role in the Koryak economy. It was carried out exclusively by women and children. Edible roots were obtained mainly from mouse holes. Cloudberries and blueberries were collected from the berries. The sedentary Koryaks developed a collection of edible shellfish, wild bird eggs, seaweed, and edible herbs: wild sorrel, saran, fireweed, hogweed, etc.
Traditional household crafts included processing of wood, bone, metal, and stone; weaving, dressing of hides. In ancient times, the Koryaks were familiar with pottery. Wood and bone were widely used on the farm. Wood was used to make reindeer and dog sleds, boats, oars, spears, and household utensils. Knives for cutting fish, picks, harpoon tips, brakes for reindeer sleds, and combs for combing grass were made from deer bones and antler. Until the beginning of the 20th century. The Koryaks also used stone axes and spearheads. With the arrival of the Russians among the Koryaks, gardening, dairy farming, and horse breeding began to spread. Currently, traditional industries - reindeer husbandry and fishing - determine the economic direction of the Kamchatka Autonomous Okrug.
Transport
The transport animals of the nomadic Koryaks were reindeer, which were harnessed to the sledge; the sedentary Koryaks had sled dogs, which were also harnessed to the sledge. A full team of dogs consisted of 10-12 animals.
To move on water (sea), the Koryaks used leather boats - kayaks and kayaks. The kayak was used mainly as a fishing boat. In summer, the Koryaks moved along the water baht- boats carved out of thick tree trunks. This boat was steered with a special long pole. To go out to sea, they used double bahts, connecting two boats using thick transverse sticks.
Music and dance
Playing the tambourine, men. With. Lesnaya, Tigilsky district.
An important part of the spiritual culture of the Koryaks is choreographic art, songs and music. There was a clear distinction between ritual and play dances. Among the songs one can note the so-called. personal songs– songs that are created and performed by only one person or donated by parents and relatives. In addition to personal songs, family ritual songs are widespread, performed in the family and passed down from generation to generation. The main musical instrument of the Koryaks is the tambourine. yayay, also known as pinwheel tellytal, making a buzzing sound when it is stretched, a pipe made of bark and wood, a pipe eyӈechg’yn from hogweed, duck feather decoy galgychgyn, which was used as a mouthpiece aerophone, a gull feather with a volume control gichgyn yaӄyaӄin and etc.
Cloth
Kukhlyanka with hood and bib made of kamus
The traditional clothing of the Koryaks can be classified as the so-called blind type. The main material for sewing clothes among the Koryaks at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries was deer skins and rovduga, which replaced and finally replaced the skins of mountain sheep by this time. Summer clothes of the Koryaks had the same cut as winter clothes, but were made from lighter materials. The Koryaks used the skins of other fur-bearing animals to decorate their clothing. The clothes were also decorated with ornaments and pendants. Bracelets, earrings, and pendants, which were remade from old copper and silver items, were also worn as jewelry. By the beginning of the 20th century, clothing made from purchased materials became noticeably widespread among them.
Family and tribal relations
The industrial and social life of the tundra Koryaks was concentrated in the camp. Previously, families wandered along with herds and grazed herds. Now only the herd workers roam.
The clan community consisted not only of relatives. The social formation included orphans, single men and women, and “free people.” The clan did not invite “free people” and did not expel them from their community. Usually these were men. They could go to another camp at any time. The tribal principle of community organization among the peoples of the North in Kamchatka was preserved for a long time. According to ancient customs, all orphans, lonely, sick and free people in the clan and tribe enjoyed protection and were considered relatives and family members. The family had a special attitude towards the elderly. Children respected their elders and listened to their advice.
The clan and tribe lived solely on what they themselves managed to create and obtain, so each member felt responsibility for the fate of the clan from an early age, since man was completely dependent on nature. The yaranga of the owner of most of the herd used to be considered the main one in the camp. A family lived in it: wife ӈev’g’en, single, married sons kmiӈu, daughters ӈavakykav’. The family included brothers ӄaytakalӈo. The head of the camp was the manager of all economic life. Intra-camp ties were quite strong and covered all aspects of the economic and social life of the collective. They were based on joint reindeer husbandry, collective grazing of herds, were cemented by kinship and marriage ties, and were supported by ancient traditions and rituals. Kinship ties usually covered the entire nomadic group.
Traditional worldview and ritual rites
The universe, according to the Koryaks, consisted of five worlds: the earth inhabited by people, two worlds above it and two below. The lower of the upper worlds is inhabited by cloud people, the upper is the abode of the Supreme Deity. Of the underground worlds, the upper one is inhabited kalag'ami- evil spirits, the shadows of the dead live in the lower. All worlds seemed interpenetrable. Animals, people, spirits moved from one world to another. The world of the dead was, as it were, part of the world of the living. The inhabitants of the underworld took care of their relatives who remained on earth, sending them animals to hunt, helping them in all matters; the living sent gifts to deceased relatives.
There was family and professional shamanism. One could not become a shaman of one’s own free will, nor could one evade this mission. It was believed that the spirits themselves choose a person for this role. The Koryaks did not have special shamanic clothing. The main shamanic attribute was a tambourine yayay. An important place in the traditional worldview was occupied by ideas about the system of guardians. Each Koryak settlement had its own guardian (pole).
The life of a Koryak from birth to death was permeated with numerous rituals, rites and prohibitions. The rituals performed on the occasion of the harvest of animals were based on ancient myth about a dying and resurrecting beast. He found a particularly vivid expression in the holiday organized after the hunt for a bear, which the Koryaks considered man’s cousin. The sedentary and some of the reindeer Koryaks performed similar ritual actions on the first fish they caught. Only after this was it allowed to be eaten. The whale was especially revered. Ritual ceremonies accompanying its extraction existed among the Alyutor people, the Koryaks of the Penzhina Bay and the northwestern coast of the Sea of Okhotsk.
KoryaksLike other Paleo-Asian peoples of North-Eastern Siberia, they belong to the mainland group of populations of the Arctic race of Mongoloids.
Koryak language
Koryak language is included in the Chukchi-Kamchatka group of Paleo-Asian languages, the closest Chukchi language , which is explained by the commonality of the linguistic substrate from which languages were isolated at different times modern peoples North-Eastern Siberia. At first it was the Itelmen language, which developed autonomously for a long time, and then the Chukchi and Koryak languages, which coexisted in conditions of fairly active contacts between these peoples. The cultural and economic diversity of the Koryaks is reflected in the dialects, the names of which correspond to the distinguished groups: Chavchuvensky, Kamensky, Apukinsky, Parensky, Itkansky, Olyutorsky, Karaginsky, Palansky, Kereksky. In connection with the opinion about the possibility of vesting Alyutorians And Kerek With the status of an independent ethnic community, their dialects also receive the status of independent languages.
Farm
In cultural and economic terms, the Koryaks are divided into 2 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 headwaters of the left tributaries of the Kolyma. Coastal Koryaks (Nymylans), more culturally and economically diverse, are sometimes designated as ethno-territorial groups: Kamenets, Parenets, Itkins (coast of the Penzhinskaya Bay of the Sea of Okhotsk), Apukins (Bering Sea coast of Kamchatka, north of the Pakhachi River basin). Further to the north are the Kereks (currently counted as an independent people of about 100 people). In the south, along the eastern coast of Kamchatka, the Karaginians live, and parallel to them, on the western coast, the Palans live. The cultural and economic status of the Alyutor people, who are settled 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 combines reindeer husbandry, fishing and hunting. Now the Alyutor people are distinguished as an independent people. Differences between the listed groups are recorded in the language at the level of dialects, and in culture - in the ratio of the main types of economic activity (for example, fishing predominates among the Padans, and hunting for sea animals predominates among the Kamenets).
Story
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, the culture of sea hunters, fishermen and wild deer hunters), in which Koryak features can be traced cultural traditions, preserved in relative chronological continuity until the ancient Koryak settlements of the 16th-17th centuries. The basis of the Okhotsk culture was made up of inland 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. Since the 17th century The most significant factor determining the appearance of Koryak culture is Koryak-Russian ties. Direct contacts with the Russians changed their economy and life, especially of the coastal Koryaks. Reindeer Koryaks in to a greater extent preserved the characteristics of their culture. Thus, in appearance ethnic culture The Koryaks were influenced by both regional factors in the formation of Paleo-Asian peoples and ethnocultural ties with their neighbors.
At the time of their acquaintance with the Russians, the Koryaks did not have a clan organization. Settlements of sedentary Koryaks already in the 17th century. were formed as territorial-community associations that did not have exogamous characteristics. At the end of the 19th century. in the field of production and distribution, the features of primitive collectivism were preserved. The Parenians, Itkans, and Kamenets had special groups - “canoe associations”, where tools and labor were united during sea hunting. “Canoe associations” were organized on the basis of the kinship principle. They not only performed production functions, but represented stable social structures, inner life which were regulated by customary law, traditions and rituals. When distribution of production there was no fishing uniform rules. The most pronounced form of egalitarian distribution occurred during whale hunting. The caught whale became the property of all residents of the village. In the summer, groups of relatives united to fish together. The spoils were divided equally. The production and social life of the reindeer Koryaks was concentrated in the camp, where several smaller ones were usually grouped around the farm of a large reindeer herder. The inhabitants of the camp were connected by relationships of kinship and property. The population of the camp sometimes reached 50-70 people. The owner of most of the herd was considered the head, that is, the manager of the economic life of the camp. Several camps roaming a certain territory united into groups connected by blood, marriage or economic relations and headed by elders. Forms of ownership: communal for pastures and private for reindeer herds. The reindeer husbandry of the Chavchuvens, before its changes during the Soviet period, remained patriarchal-natural with noticeable features of primitive communal relations.
Worldview
The traditional worldview is associated with animism. The Koryaks animated the entire world around them: mountains, stones, plants, sea, heavenly bodies. The universe was represented in the form of 5 worlds: earth, inhabited by people, 2 worlds above and 2 underground. The Upper World is the abode of the Supreme Being, who was identified with the sun, dawn, nature, and the universe. The upper of the underworlds was imagined to be inhabited by evil spirits, and the lower - the abode of the shadows of the dead. The worlds that make up the universe are interpenetrable. There was professional and family shamanism. The Koryaks did not have special shamanic clothes. 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.).
Family
The main economic unit of all groups of Koryaks in the 19th - early 20th centuries. there was a large patriarchal family. Polygamy is known, although at the end of the 19th century. it was not widespread. Marriages took place within one local group. The Koryak marriage system excluded cousins; in the case of a patrilocal marriage, work for the wife was practiced. The customs of levirate and sororate were observed. There was a strict sexual division of labor.
Koryak culture
The ethnic culture of the Koryaks is represented by 2 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 was not the same. Among the Alyutor people, reindeer husbandry is combined with an additional commercial complex. Reindeer husbandry of the Koryak-Chavchuvens is large herd and, in terms of organization and productive orientation, corresponds to Samoyed. Regional differences include shorter seasonal migration routes, summer grazing in the mountains and division of camps, and the absence of a herding dog. The Alyutor people are characterized by a smaller number of reindeer on the farm, cooperation of low-reindeer farms, and a greater share of fisheries. Koryak reindeer herders had highly specialized reindeer transport. The basis of the economy of the sedentary Koryaks was fishing (Karagintsy, Alyutortsy, Palantsy), sea hunting (Penzhintsy, Apukintsy). At the beginning of the 20th century. 63% of Koryak households hunted sea animals. Fur hunting before the Russians arrive of great importance did not have, the Koryaks hunted bear, mountain sheep, and wild deer. Features of the culture of sedentary Koryaks were sled dog breeding and more diverse means of transportation on water, which had much in common with the Chukchi and Eskimo.
Fishing
The specifics of the fishery determined the nature of settlement. The only type of settlement among the reindeer herders was a camp consisting of several yarang dwellings. The yaranga was a frame made of poles, which was covered with a tire made of deer skins with sheared fur, the inside inside. The yaranga was about 10 m in diameter and 4 m in height. Inside the yaranga, fur sleeping curtains were attached to the walls, each for one family. Adult unmarried men and unmarried women lived in separate shelters. The number of inhabitants of one yaranga at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century. reached 25 people. The Chavchuvens had no outbuildings. Among the sedentary Koryaks, the predominant form of housing was a half-dugout with an original funnel-shaped structure on the roof. The walls were made of wooden blocks. There was a fireplace in the center of the dwelling. They entered the dugout in winter through a smoke hole, in summer - through a special attached corridor with a flat roof. Sedentary Koryaks, like reindeer herders, slept in fur canopies. Most of the settlements of sedentary Koryaks were located at the mouths of rivers, on the seashore, where they lived in winter and summer. The Palans had winter villages far from fishing grounds; in the summer they moved to the coast to summer dwellings. The settlements differed in the number of inhabitants: the Palan settlements numbered 200 people or more. Most of the Apukin villages consisted of 1 half-dugout. The settlements of sedentary Koryaks were given a unique appearance by outbuildings - booths covered with dry grass. Under the influence of the Russians, certain groups of Koryaks already in the middle of the 18th century. log dwellings began to appear.
Cloth
Traditional winter clothing consisted of a fur shirt, pants and a hood. 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. Women's winter shoes were distinguished by high tops. The set of women's winter clothing also included overalls (kerker), a fur shirt (gagaglia), the hood of which replaced the headdress. Children's clothing was overalls. Summer clothing of the Koryaks had the same cut as winter clothing, but was made from lighter materials - rovduga, deer skins with sheared fur, dog skins, purchased fabrics, and was always single. The Koryaks did not have any special fishing clothing; they only preferred dog skins or rovduga. The distinctive features of ritual clothing (funerary and dance) were the rich and characteristic ornamentation, as well as the color of the fur.
Traditional Koryak clothing was decorated with ornaments and pendants. Decorations included bracelets, earrings, and pendants, which were made from old copper and silver items. Many decorations played the role of amulets. Hairstyles and women's tattoos had magical significance. Men cut their hair, leaving only a circle on the top of the head or a narrow rim around the head. Women combed their hair in the middle and braided it into two tight braids, which were decorated with a string of beads.
Koryak food
The main food of reindeer herders is reindeer meat, mainly boiled. Kidneys, brains, and cartilage were eaten raw. A stew was made from the blood and stomach contents. The dried meat was used to prepare ritual dishes - masher (the meat was ground with a pestle, adding roots, fat and berries). They ate frozen meat on the road. The hooves were fermented in blood, and the young shoots of the horns were eaten boiled. Yukola was prepared as a complement to meat food, and in the summer they diversified the diet with fresh fish. Fish, meat and fat of sea animals constituted the main food of the sedentary Koryaks. Most of the fish was consumed in the form of salmon yukola.
The meat of sea animals was boiled or frozen. The fat of sea animals was valued; it was eaten raw or melted with meat or yukola. 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 began to become increasingly widespread: flour, cereals, tea, sugar, tobacco.
Decorative and applied arts of the Koryaks
The folk arts and crafts of the Koryaks are represented by the artistic processing of soft materials (women's occupation) and the manufacture of products from stone, bone, wood and metal (men). Koryak craftswomen are virtuosos of northern fur mosaics, skillfully selecting combinations of light and dark tones of fur. Fur mosaic stripes are sewn onto the hems of kukhlyankas in the form of a wide border (opuvan). The ornament is predominantly geometric, less often floral. Often realistic figures of animals and scenes from their lives are embroidered. The technique of satin stitch predominates in embroidery. The backs of eider ducks were especially richly decorated. A special area of Koryak women's art - decoration fur carpets. The technique used to decorate them was to sew together pieces of light and dark fur; embroidery with colored threads on the fur was also used.
In wood carving, male carvers used complex-shaped ornaments, also characteristic of ancient Paleo-Asians: curls, paired spirals on a leg (“ram’s horns”). 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. Parensky blacksmiths were distinguished by their great skill in making metal products.
Koryak armor
Holidays
Traditional Koryak holidays are seasonal. Reindeer herders celebrated the festival of horns (Kilvey) in the spring, when after calving the herd was driven to the camp, and in the fall - the festival of reindeer slaughter. Coastal hunters, before the start of the spring sea fishing, held a festival for launching kayaks, and at the end autumn season(in November) - holiday of the seal - Hololo (olo-lo). There were holidays of the “first fish”, “first seal”. Both the coastal and reindeer Koryaks held special religious ceremonies on the occasion of hunting bears, rams, and others. In families where twins were born, a special “wolf holiday” was held, since twins were considered relatives of wolves. At the holidays, ritual dances were performed, representing a naturalistic imitation of the movements of animals and birds: seals, bears, deer, ravens. The traditional Mlavytyn dance was accompanied by characteristic guttural hoarse singing. During the holidays, games and competitions were organized (wrestling, running competitions, deer or dog races, tossing a bearded seal on the skin). From musical instruments Along with the narrow-rimmed tambourine, a jew's harp (the so-called dental tambourine in the form of a bone or iron plate) is common. In recent decades, professional culture has been successfully developing, mainly in the field of choreography (national dance ensemble "Mengo") and visual arts. Associations of amateur artists and writers have been created in the Koryak Autonomous Okrug. The artist Kirill Kilpalin and the writer Koyanto (V.V. Kosygin) are especially famous.
town Palana 1212
Tymlat village 706
Manila village 565
Sedanka village 446
Lesnaya village 384
Vyvenka village 362
Ossora village 351
Tilichiki village 329
Karaga village 289
Slautnoye village 254
Talovka village 254
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky city 245
Tigil village 203
Khailino village 201
Voyampolka village 163
Ivashka village 162
Khairyuzovo village 102
Magadan Region:
Verkhniy Paren village 262
Evensk town 234
Topolovka village 160
Number– 9,242 people (as of 2001).
Language– Chukchi-Kamchatka family of languages.
Resettlement– Koryak Autonomous Okrug, Kamchatka Region.
By the beginning of contact with the Russians in the 18th century. The Koryaks were divided into nomadic (self-name Chav'chu - “reindeer herder”) and sedentary (nymyl'o - “residents”, “villagers”), in turn subdivided into several separate groups: Karagintsy (karan'ynyl'o), Parentsy (poityl'o), Kamenets (vaikynelyo), etc. Nomadic people settled in the interior regions of Kamchatka and on the adjacent mainland, sedentary (coastal) people settled on the eastern and western coasts of Kamchatka, as well as in the area of Penzhinskaya Bay and the Taigonos Peninsula.
Writing has existed since 1931 on a Latin basis, and since 1936 on a Russian graphic basis.
The nomadic Koryaks - Chavchuvens - are characterized by large-scale reindeer herding with a herd size of 400 to 2000 heads. During the year, they made four main migrations: in the spring (before calving) - to moss pastures, in the summer - to places where there are fewer midges (mosquitoes, midges, etc.), in the autumn - closer to the camps where reindeer were slaughtered, and in the winter - short migrations near the camps. The main tools of the shepherds were a staff, a lasso (chav’at) - a long rope with a loop for catching deer, as well as a boomerang-shaped stick (curved in a special way and, after being thrown, returned to the shepherd), with the help of which they collected the stray part of the herd. In winter, the Chavchuvens hunted fur-bearing animals.
Elder I. Kechgelhut opens the holiday
The nomadic Koryaks lived in summer and winter in portable frame yarangas (yayana), the basis of which was made up of three poles 3.5-5 m high, placed in the form of a tripod and tied at the top with a belt. Around them, in the lower part of the yaranga, forming an irregular circle with a diameter of 4-10 m, low tripods were strengthened, tied with a belt and connected by transverse crossbars. The upper conical part of the yaranga consisted of inclined poles resting on transverse crossbars, the tops of tripods and the upper ends of three main poles. A tire made of sheared or worn deer skins with the fur facing out was pulled over the frame of the yaranga. Inside, along the walls, fur sleeping curtains (yoyona) were tied to additional poles, shaped like a box turned upside down, 1.3-1.5 m high, 2-4 m long, 1.3-2 m wide. The number of curtains was determined by the number of family couples living in yaranga. The floor under the canopy was covered with willow or cedar branches and deer skins.
The economy of the Nymylo - settled Koryaks - combined sea hunting, fishing, land hunting and gathering. Marine hunting is the main occupation of the inhabitants of Penzhinskaya Bay (Itkans, Parents and Kamenets). He also played an important role among the Apukins and Karagins, and to a lesser extent among the Palans. Hunting for sea animals in the spring was individual, and in the fall - collective, began in late May - early June and lasted until October. The main weapons were the harpoon (v'emek) and nets. They traveled on leather kayaks (kultaytvyyt - “boat made of bearded seal skins”) and single-seat kayaks (mytyv). They caught bearded seals, seals, akiba, spotted seals, and lionfish. Until the middle of the nineteenth century. The sedentary Koryaks of the Penzhina Bay hunted cetaceans. The Apukin and Karagin people were engaged in hunting walruses. By the end of the nineteenth century. As a result of the extermination of whales and walruses by American whalers, the harvest of these animals decreased, and fishing began to play a primary role in the economy. From spring to autumn, huge schools of salmon fish flowed from the sea into the rivers of the eastern coast of Kamchatka: char, sockeye salmon, chinook salmon, chum salmon, pink salmon, coho salmon, and trout; in February-March, smelt and navaga entered the bays; in April-May, the waters off the coast were “boiling” with herring that had come to spawn. To catch fish, they used locks, set-type and net-type nets, fishing rods and hooks on a long strap, reminiscent of a harpoon. Fishing was supplemented by hunting birds, ungulates and fur-bearing animals, and collecting wild berries and edible roots. The most common hunting tools were traps, crossbows, nets, pressure-type traps (the alert is broken and the log crushes the animal), scoops, etc., and from the end of the 18th century. began to use firearms. Karagins and Palans mastered vegetable gardening and cattle breeding.
The ritual is accompanied by wooden masks
The predominant type of dwelling among the sedentary Koryaks was a half-dugout (lymgyyan, yayana) up to 15 m long, up to 12 m wide and up to 7 m high. When constructing it, eight vertical pillars and four - in the center. Between the outer pillars, two rows of logs sawn lengthwise were driven in, forming the walls of the dwelling, fastened at the top with transverse beams. From the square frame connecting the four central pillars and forming the upper entrance and smoke hole, the blocks of the octagonal roof ran to the upper transverse beams of the walls. To protect against snow drifts, the Koryaks of the west coast built a funnel-shaped bell of poles and blocks around the hole, and the Koryaks of the east coast built a barrier of rods or mats. A corridor sunk into the ground with a flat roof was attached to one of the walls facing the sea. The walls, roof and corridor of the dwelling, caulked with dry grass or moss, were covered with earth on top. The hearth, consisting of two oblong stones, was located at a distance of 50 cm from the central log with notches, along which in winter they entered the dwelling through the upper hole. During the fishing season, the entrance was a side corridor. Inside such a dugout, on the side opposite the corridor, a platform was installed for receiving guests. Sleeping curtains made from worn-out deer skins or worn-out fur clothing were hung along the side walls.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century. under the influence of Russian settlers, log huts appeared among the Palans, Karagins, Apukins and Koryaks on the northwestern coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. By the end of the nineteenth century. Karagins and partly Palans began to build above-ground dwellings of the Yakut type (booth), in which the windows were covered with the intestines of sea animals or bears. An iron or brick stove with a chimney was installed in the center of such dwellings, and wooden bunks were built along the walls.
The clothes of the hunter and the shepherd are tied with a belt. The “bubble” overlap allows you to freely raise your arms
The clothes of all groups of Koryaks were of a closed cut. The Chavchuvens usually sewed it from deer skins; the coastal people, along with deer skins, used the skins of sea animals. The decoration was the fur of dogs and fur-bearing animals. In winter they wore double clothing (with fur inside and out), in summer - single clothing. The “all-weather” men's set consisted of a fur shirt with a hood and bib, fur pants, a headdress and shoes. The outer trousers were made from thin reindeer skin or reindeer kamus, the lower and summer trousers were made from rovduga or leather cut from an old yaranga tire. Until the end of the nineteenth century. Coastal Koryak hunters wore pants made of seal skins during the fishing season.
To protect the kukhlyanka from the snow, they wore a wide shirt - kamleika - with a hood made of rovduga or fabric, which was also worn in the summer in dry weather. For rainy weather, a kamleika made of rovduga, treated with urine and smoked with smoke, was used.
Winter and summer men's footwear- shoe-shaped with a long (knee-length) or short (ankle-length) shaft. The winter one was made from reindeer kamus with the fur facing out, the summer one was made from thin deer, dog, seal or seal skins, rovduga or waterproof smoked deer skin with trimmed pile. The sole was made from bearded seal skin, walrus skin, and deer brushes (part of the skin with long hair from a deer’s leg above the hoof).
At the camp
A men's fur headdress - a bonnet-shaped malakhai with earmuffs - was worn in winter and summer. The set of winter men's clothing included double or single mittens (lilit) made of reindeer kamus.
Women sewed fur double jumpsuits that reached their knees. For the lower overalls, the chavchuvenkas selected plain, thin skins of young deer; for the upper overalls, they preferred variegated ones. Among the coastal Koryak women, alternating white and dark stripes of reindeer camus and fur mosaics predominate in their clothing. Summer overalls were made from smoked deer or rovduga skin and decorated with strips of red fabric inserted into the seams. Over the overalls, women in winter wore a double or single kukhlyanka, similar to the men's one, and in spring, summer and autumn - a gagaglia (kagav'len) fur shirt with fur inside, much longer than the men's kukhlyanka. The front and back of the eiderdown were decorated with fringes made of thin straps, pendants made of dyed seal fur, and beads. There were no special women's headdresses. During migrations, Koryak women wore men's malakhai. Women's shoes were decorated with appliques made of thin white leather from the necks of dogs, but in cut and materials they were identical to men's shoes. In winter, women wore fur double mittens.
In traditional clothes, both old and young
Until the age of five or six, a child was sewn a jumpsuit with a hood (kalny’ykei, kakei): in winter - double, and in summer - single. The sleeves and legs of the overalls were sewn up, and after the child began to walk, fur or fur shoes were sewn to the legs. In the clothing of five- and six-year-old children, its purpose based on gender differences was already clearly visible.
The reindeer Koryaks ate reindeer meat, most often boiled, and also consumed willow bark and seaweed. Coastal residents ate the meat of sea animals and fish. Since the 18th century purchased products appeared: flour, rice, crackers, bread and tea. Flour porridge was cooked in water, deer or seal blood, and rice porridge was eaten with seal or deer fat.
The basis of social life was a large patriarchal (from the Latin pater - father, arche - power) family community, uniting close, and in the case of reindeer, sometimes distant relatives on the paternal side. At its head was the oldest man. The marriage was preceded by a probationary period for the groom to work on the farm of his future father-in-law. After it was over, the so-called “grabbing” ritual followed (the groom had to catch the fleeing bride and touch her body). This gave the right to marriage. The transition to the husband's house was accompanied by rituals of introducing the wife to the hearth and family cult. Until the beginning of the twentieth century. the customs of the levirate (from the Latin levir - brother-in-law, brother of the husband) were preserved: if the older brother died, the younger one had to marry his wife and take care of her and her children, as well as the sororate (from the Latin soror - sister): the widower had to marry on the sister of his deceased wife.
A typical coastal Koryak settlement united several related families. There were production associations, including canoe associations (using one canoe), the core of which was a large patriarchal family. Other relatives who were engaged in fishing were grouped around her. The reindeer herders' camp, whose head owned most of the reindeer herd and led not only economic but also social life, numbered from two to six yarangas. Within the camp, connections were based on joint herding of reindeer, cemented by kinship and marriage ties, and supported by ancient traditions and rituals. Since the 18th century. Among the nomadic Koryaks, property division (stratification), caused by the development of private ownership of reindeer, led to the emergence of poor farm laborers who may not have been related to other inhabitants of the camp.
At the beginning of the twentieth century. there is a destruction of patriarchal-communal relations among the settled Koryaks. This is caused by the transition to individual types of economic activity: hunting of small sea animals, fur hunting, and fishing.
sacred bird
The main rituals and holidays of the sedentary Koryaks of the 19th - early 20th centuries. dedicated to the fishing of marine animals. Their main moments are the ceremonial meeting and farewell of the hunted animals (whales, killer whales, etc.). After the ritual was performed, the skins, noses, and paws of the killed animals replenished the bunch of family “guardians.”
The main autumn festival of the nomadic Koryaks - Koyanaitatyk - “Drive the Reindeer” - 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, they competed in reindeer sled racing, wrestling, running with sticks, throwing a lasso at a target moving in a circle, and climbing an icy pole.
The Koryaks also developed rituals life cycle, accompanying weddings, births of children, funerals.
Shaman
To protect against disease and death, they turned to shamans, performed various sacrifices, and wore amulets. Premature death was considered the machinations of evil spirits, ideas about which were reflected in funeral and memorial rituals. Funeral clothes were prepared during life, but they were left unfinished, fearing that those who had ready-made clothes would die earlier. It was finished off with a large, ugly seam while the deceased was in the home. At this time, sleeping was strictly prohibited. The main method of burial is burning on a cedar dwarf bonfire. With the deceased, his personal belongings, basic necessities, bow and arrows, food, and gifts to previously deceased relatives were placed on the fire. Among the coastal Koryaks of the southern groups, baptized back in the 18th century, the Orthodox funeral and memorial rites were intertwined with traditional customs: burning the dead, making funeral clothes, treating the dead as if they were alive.
The main genres of narrative folklore of the Koryaks are myths and fairy tales (lymnylo), historical legends and legends (panenatvo), as well as conspiracies, riddles, songs. The most widely represented are the myths and tales about Kuikynyaku (Kutkynyaku) - the Crow. He appears both as a creator and as a trickster-prankster. Tales about animals are popular. The characters in them most often are mice, bears, dogs, fish, and sea animals. Historical narratives reflect real events of the past (wars of the Koryaks with the Chukchi, with the Evens, inter-tribal clashes). In folklore, traces of borrowings from other peoples (Evens, Russians) are noticeable.
The music is represented by singing, recitatives, throat wheezing while inhaling and exhaling. Lyrical songs include “name song” and “ancestral song”, reproducing local and family tunes.
The common Koryak name for musical instruments is g’eynechg’yn. The same word also denotes a wind instrument similar to an oboe, with a squeaker 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 squeaker made of bird feathers, and a trumpet made of birch bark. Also characteristic are a plate-shaped jew's harp and a round tambourine with a flat shell and an internal cross-shaped handle with vertebrae on a bracket on the inside of the shell.
Page from the textbook of the Nymylan language by S.N. Stebnitsky
There are 18 national villages in the Koryak Autonomous Okrug. The indigenous population is still engaged in reindeer herding, hunting, fishing, processing meat and fish, as well as sewing fur products. In schools, children learn their native language. In the village An art school has been opened in Palana. At the House of Culture there is a folklore group, a Koryak language group and a national dance group “Veyem” (“River”).
Local television and radio broadcast programs in the Koryak language.
To protect the interests of the indigenous inhabitants of the district, it was formed public organization“Indigenous peoples of the North of the Koryak Autonomous Okrug”, there are its primary cells in all national villages, as well as in the Tigil and Karaginsky regions. In the Koryak Autonomous Okrug, laws are being adopted that should help preserve and revive the national way of life and traditional forms of economic management.
How special ethnographic group For a long time, the Koryaks were considered Alyutors, Olyutors, Alyutors (in Koryak and Chukchi - alutalu, elutalyu). In Russian sources they are mentioned for the first time since the beginning of the 18th century. as a special people. The 1989 census identified them as an independent people.
Named after the village. Alyut (modern Alyutorskoye), according to another version - from the Eskimo Alutor - “ enchanted place" Self-name nomulyu, the same as various groups coastal Koryaks.
Number of people: 3500. They live mainly in the eastern part of the Koryak Autonomous Okrug - in villages along the coast of the Bering Sea, from the Gulf of Korfu in the north to the village. Tymlat in the south, and along the middle reaches of the river. Vivnik, as well as on the western coast of Kamchatka, in the village. Rekkiniki. They speak the Alyutor dialect, which is close to the southern branch of the coastal Koryak dialects. Some linguists consider the Alyutor dialect as an independent language.
By type of business and traditional culture The Alyutor people are very close to the coastal Koryaks: they have also been engaged in marine hunting, including hunting cetaceans and walruses, fishing, gathering, hunting, since the 19th century. - reindeer husbandry. Reindeer were exchanged for marine products and essential goods, reindeer transport was used during migrations (dog sleds - for everyday household needs, when inspecting traps and traps during the hunting period).
The Alyutor people had housing and clothing similar to the Koryak ones; one of the features of the latter was waterproof kamleykas made from walrus intestines; The Alyutor people were also distinguished by the habit of sewing trousers made of reindeer kamus to their winter trunks.
The beliefs and rituals of the Alyutors were not much different from the Koryaks. Christianity, which had been spreading among them since the beginning of the 18th century, was not accepted by them.
The Alyutor people continue to preserve a number of local ethnographic features to this day.
In March 2000, by decree of the Government of the Russian Federation, they were included in Unified list indigenous peoples Russian Federation.
article from the encyclopedia "The Arctic is my home"
BOOKS ABOUT KORYAKS
Antropova V.V. Culture and life of the Koryaks. L., 1971.
Vdovin I.S. Essays ethnic history Koryaks. L., 1973.
History and culture of the Koryaks. L., 1994.
Slyunin N.V. Okhotsk-Kamchatka region. Natural historical description. St. Petersburg, 1900. T. 1.
Stebnitsky S.N. Lymnylo-Nymylan (Koryak) tales. L., 1938.
Modern encyclopedia
KORYAKS- people, indigenous people Koryak Autonomous Okrug of the Russian Federation (7 thousand people). They also live in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and Magadan Region. Total number 9 thousand people (1992). Koryak language. Orthodox believers... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
KORYAKS- KORYAKS, Koryaks, units. Koryak, Koryak, husband. A people in the extreme northeast of Asia. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary
KORYAKS- KORYAKI, ov, units. yak, ah, husband. The people who make up the main indigenous population of Kamchatka. | wives koryachka, i. | adj. Koryak, aya, oh. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary
KORYAKS- KORYAKS, people in the Russian Federation (7 thousand people). Indigenous population of the Koryak Autonomous Okrug. They also live in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and the Magadan Region. The Koryak language of the Chukotka-Kamchatka family of Paleo-Asian languages. Believers... ...Russian history
KORYAKS- The people are Mongolian. tribe, lives in Priamursk. region and Kamchatka. Dictionary foreign words, included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910 ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
Koryaks- (self-names Chavchyv, Chavchu, Nymylagyn, Nymyl arenku, Rymku Chavchyv) nationality with a total number of 9 thousand people. Live on the territory of the Russian Federation, incl. Koryak Autonomous Okrug (7 thousand people). Koryak language. Religious... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
Koryaks- ov; pl. The people who make up the main population of the Koryak Autonomous Okrug of the Kamchatka Region; representatives of this people. ◁ Koryak, a; m. Koryachka, and; pl. genus. check, date chkam; and. Koryak, oh, oh. * * * Koryaks are a people in Russia, the indigenous population... encyclopedic Dictionary
KORYAKS- the people who make up the main population of the Koryak national env. Kamchatka region, also live in Chukotka national. env. and North Evensky district of Magadan region. The self-name of the coastal K. nymylyn, K. reindeer herders Chavchyv. Number K. 6.3 t.h. (1959). Koryak language... ... Soviet historical encyclopedia
Koryaks- the people who make up the main population of the Koryak National District of the Kamchatka Region of the RSFSR. They also live in the Chukotka National District and the North Evensky District of the Magadan Region. Population 7.5 thousand people (1970, census).... ... Big Soviet encyclopedia
Books
- Peoples of North-East Siberia. Ainu. Aleuts. Itelmens. Kamchadal. Kereki. Koryaks. Nivkhi. Chuvans. Chukchi. Eskimos. Yukaghirs, Batyanova E., Turaev V. (eds.). The next volume in the series “Peoples and Cultures” is dedicated to the ethnography of the indigenous peoples of North-East Siberia: the Ainu, Aleuts, Itelmens, Kamchadals, Kereks, Koryaks, Nivkhs, Chuvans,... Buy for 1452 rubles
- Raven Kutha, . In the Arctic - near the cold seas of the Arctic Ocean, in Siberia and on Far East- Indigenous peoples have long lived along the northwestern coast of the Pacific Ocean: Chukchi, Eskimos, Orochi,...