As far back as the 18th century, the Koryaks had two distinct branches of economic structures and corresponding subcultures: the nomadic reindeer herders, and sedentary coastal fishers and sea mammal hunters. Their cultural framework is focused on connecting independent but interrelated tribes in order to survive.

The Koryaks have a different history and way of life, with anthropologists speculating that their ancestors have lived in, or traveled across this region for millennia, probably crossing back and forth between Asia and America during the ice age. Although approached by Christian missionaries, they retain rituals and behavioral norms embedded in their shamanistic belief system, which shape practices related to hunting, relationships with nature and festival activities. Many have added guns to their arsenal of hunting gear. Many reside in cabins, except when camping. In modernizing to a degree, some traditional hunting methods and portable dwellings have been modified. Adapting to new surroundings and borrowing ideas from the Koryaks, Itelmens and Yakuts, this group has grown to 2,500 people. They've expanded transportation modes by embracing dog sledding and horse riding, depending on the season. They maintain a semi-nomadic way of life, and have diversified their economic structures by merging reindeer herding, taiga hunting and fishing. This split resulted in cultural differences between Kamchatka Even and those living beyond the peninsula, for the Kamchatka Even had to learn to survive in isolation. In the 17th century, pursuing new hunting grounds, a faction of the Even wandered into the desolate regions of Kamchatka, where Koryak and Chukchi lived nomadically. For instance, the Evens-of whom there are nearly 2,500 on Kamchatka today-are relative newcomers to the peninsula. Some of the Native groups of this region include the Koryaks, Alyutor, Chukchi, Kamchadal, Itelmens, Aleut and Even.Įach group is nuanced and distinct. It is located on the far east side of Russia, surrounded by the Sea of Okhotsk, the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean, riddled by volcanic activity from the Pacific tectonic plate, part of Earth's 'Ring of Fire.' While the United Nations estimates that, as of 2019, Indigenous people (also known as Aboriginals, First Peoples or Natives) comprise 5% of the global population, in Kamchatka, that number is 10%. The remote Russian peninsula of Kamchatka, where Julia Phillips' debut novel Disappearing Earth takes place, is very isolated.

This article relates to Disappearing Earth

The Indigenous People of Kamchatka, Russia

Book review disappearing earth