Environmental Knowledgeof the North

The films that are shown here give an insight into the life of the Korjak reindeer herders of the Karaginski district during the summer grazing season. For the recordings for this documentary Erich Kasten and Aleksandra Urkachan traveled from Tymlat to the interior of Northern Kamchatka.

For Koryaks (Nymylans) living on the northern west coast of Kamchatka around the village of Lesnaya, fishing plays a special role as one of their important means of livelihood. In the films that are shown here, indigenous people report on the schedules of their activities in connection with the seasonal emergence of the various fish species and on fishing territories of individual families.

The Nymylans (coastal Koryaks) of the settlement of Lesnaya on the north-west coast of Kamchatka gather numerous plants during the short snow-free period of summer.. This covers the need for important vitamins for the winter. Some plants are also used for healing purposes. Certain plants provide materials for the manufacture of utensils.

The snow sheep is considered the favored hunting game for the indigenous population on Kamchatka. However, in many parts of the peninsula, its population has declined sharply in recent years due to poaching and hunting tourism. In the mountains around the Koryak settlement of Lesnaya, there are still enough of these difficult to track and trace animals for which hunters go hunting every autumn. 

In addition to fishing, hunting marine mammals provides another important livelihood for the Koryaks of Lesnaya on the northern coast of Kamchatka. They hunt seals and bearded seals in particular, which provide important materials as well as meat. Among other things, the skins are used to make straps, which are also a sought-after barter item for reindeer herders in the interior of the peninsula. 

The reconciliation feasts of the Nymylans (coastal Koryaks) and Chavchuvens (reindeer herding Koryaks) are celebrated at specific times and occasions related to their most significant livelihoods.

The impacts of climate change have serious implications for reindeer herding, as the icing of the snowpack can prevent or impede access to lichen and moss forage.

The Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (Bremerhaven / Potsdam) has been conducting climate studies from the Samoylov research station in the Lena River delta on the Arctic Ocean since 1998. 

With the help of their own pedagogical concepts, Khanty try to hand down the traditional knowledge of their ancestors to younger generations.

Two films provide views into different areas of life of this people.

Since their immigration to Kamchatka at the beginning of the 19th century, a compact Even population has formed in the Bystrinsky district who keeps reindeer there.

In the northern continental shelf of the Kamchatka Peninsula live Koryak reindeer herders.