Koryaks
The Koryak are a people on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the far east of Russia. They live mainly in the autonomous district of the Koryak. Their number is about 8000.
Language
The Koryak language belongs to the closely related Chukch to the group of Tschuktscho - Kamchadal languages.
Way of life
Before the arrival of the Russians Koryak lived in patriarchal structured large families. There were both nomadic, Reindeer herding groups and sedentary groups who lived by hunting and whaling. End of the 19th century, the income of whaling decreased dramatically since American whalers decimated whale stocks strong, and the fishing began to play a role. In Soviet times, the nomadic tribes were settled down and introduced reindeer herding, in a big way.
Religion
The Koryak are still largely Shamanists today.
Policy
Politically, the Koryak the group of small indigenous peoples of the Russian North, Siberia and the Russian Far East are assigned that are organized under the umbrella organization RAIPON.