Itelmen

Itelmen, also called Kamchadal, people of the southern Kamchatka Peninsula, far eastern Russia, numbering about 2,500 in the late 20th century. Much reduced by conquest and epidemics, they have been largely Russianized since the 18th century. In Russian usage the surviving remnant is designated by their own term Itelmen; the name Kamchadal refers to mixed bloods in Russia.

Their Luorawetlan language of the Paleo-Siberian language group and their mythology are closely related to those of the neighbouring Chukchi and Koryak peoples. Along with many other tribes around the North Pacific, the Itelmen based their economy and pattern of life on the annual salmon run; extensive use of wild plants was also characteristic. The year’s food supply was largely obtained with weirs, traps, and nets in summer, permitting relative leisure during other seasons.

The Itelmen were primarily a riverine and coastal people. Living in relative isolation, they were still technologically in the Stone Age when first reported (1697). Uniquely, they lived in underground houses in winter and in elevated pile structures during the summer. Dogsleds or small dugout canoes provided transportation, depending on the season. Warfare among local groups was frequent. Little is known about traditional Itelmen social organization, but women had considerable influence. Their religion included propitiation of countless spirits, as well as game-animal rituals to assure hunting success. Shamans were less important among the Itelmen, Chukchi, and Koryak than elsewhere in Siberia.