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Камчадалы | |
|---|---|
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Russia
| 1,927[1] |
 Japan | 100 |
| Languages | |
| Russian | |
| Religion | |
| Russian Orthodoxy | |
TheKamchadals (Russian:камчадалы,IPA:[kɐmʲtɕɪdˈalɨ]) are an ethnic group inhabitingKamchatka,Russia. The name "Kamchadal" was originally applied to the descendants of the local Siberians and aboriginal peoples (theItelmens,Ainu,Koryaks andChuvans) who assimilated with theRussians. These descendants of the Russian settlers that mixed with the indigenous peoples in the 18th-19th century are called Kamchadals today.[timeframe?] The Kamchadals speak Russian with a touch of localdialects of the aboriginal languages of Kamchatka. The Kamchadals engage infur trading,fishing,market gardening anddairy farming, and the majority are of theRussian Orthodox faith.[citation needed] Today, the name 'Kamchadal' may be applied to people who speak, or whose ancestors spoke, one of theKamchadal languages. This article is about the Kamchadals in the first sense; for the second sense, seeItelmens
In 1767 and 1768, a Russian ship brought smallpox to the region for the first time, and it is believed to have killed three fourths of the native population.[2] In the journal of CaptainJames Cook, "The small pox . . . made its appearance in 1767 and 1768. It was brought into the country by a Russian vessel bound to the Eastern islands, for the purpose of hunting otters, foxes, and other animals. The person who had in his blood the fatal germ was a sailor from Okotsk [sic], where he had taken remedies for the disorder previous to his departure; but the recent marks of it were visible. Scarcely landed, he communicated this cruel malady to the poor Kamchadales, which carried off three-fourths of them." So, Kamchadals as an ethnic group were not numerous after this contact with fur traders.
As a result of theTreaty of Saint Petersburg (1875), the Kuril Islands were handed over toJapan, along with itsAinu subjects. A total of 83 North Kuril Ainu arrived inPetropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on September 18, 1877 after they decided to remain under Russian rule. They refused the offer by Russian officials to move to new reservations in theCommander Islands. Finally a deal was reached in 1881 and the Ainu decided to settle in the village of Yavin, Kamchatka. In March 1881 the group left Petropavlovsk and started the journey towards Yavin by foot. Four months later, they arrived at their new homes. Another village, Golygino was founded later. Under Soviet rule, both the villages were forced to disband and residents were moved to the Russian dominated Zaporozhye rural settlement inUst-Bolsheretsky Raion.[3] As a result of intermarriage, the three ethnic groups assimilated to form the Kamchadal community.
According to Alexei Nakamura, Kurile Kamchadals along with Ainu living in Russia are fighting for official recognition.[4][5] Since the Ainu are not recognized in the official list of the peoples living in Russia, some of them are counted as ethnic Kamchadals.[6]
