Kamchadals - an ethnographic group of Russians, an old-timer population modern territory Kamchatka Territory, formed as a result of ethnic contacts of a few Russian settlers with representatives of aboriginal northern ethnic groups. In the 18th century, the term Kamchadals denoted the Itelmens.
The origin and culture of the Russian Kamchadals were most influenced by the Itelmens, in to a lesser extent also Koryaks, Chuvans. The language of the Kamchadals is Russian.
A permanent Russian population appeared by the 1730s and, due to its small numbers, largely mixed with the aborigines of the region, and some of the Itelmen adopted the Russian language and culture, becoming part of the Kamchadals. By the beginning of the 20th century in Kamchatka there were about 3,600 people of the local Russian-Itelmen population, which represented the same ethnographic group with general features culture and life and the Russian language of communication.
Having adopted the traditional life and economic way of the aborigines, the Russian old-timers became related to them as a result of mixed marriages, forming a single family of Kamchadals. Modern genealogical research confirms that before the revolution, the Kamchadals were a single large Kamchatka family, the members of which recognized themselves as Kamchadals. In 1912, a famous Russian scientist, future president Academy of Sciences of the USSR V.L. Komarov wrote in the Russian Anthropological Journal: “Now you can’t always tell who you see in front of you: a Kamchadal or a Russian - they are so mixed up with each other and their way of life, clothing and utensils are so identical.”
According to the results of the 2010 All-Russian Population Census, 1,927 Kamchadals live in Russia.
The meaning of the word "Kamchadaly"
The word “Kamchadals” is used in at least five meanings.
- Initially, the Russians called this the indigenous inhabitants of Kamchatka - Itelmens. And in this meaning the word continues to circulate in historical and historical-geographical literature.
- Later, when the mixing of newcomer Russians with the Itelmen aborigines began, the word “Kamchadal” began to designate the descendants of these mixed marriages, who, as a rule, spoke two languages - Itelmen and Russian - and developed a special dialect of the Russian language. And it is precisely in this meaning that modern ethnography most often takes the word “Kamchadals”.
- The name of a people (ethnonym), akin to a geographical name (toponym), is always attractive for expanded use. Therefore, the name “Kamchadals” often began to be extended to the entire old-time Russian population (who lived for many generations in Kamchatka), without really attaching importance to whether and in what proportion they had an admixture of Itelmen blood.
- In the modern lexicon of the Kamchatka media and even in everyday administrative vocabulary, the word “Kamchadals” is sometimes used as a collective name for all the indigenous peoples of Kamchatka (otherwise some educated provincial figure will break his tongue, listing: Itelmens, Koryaks, Chukchi, Kamchadals, Alyutors, kereks...).
- Many people who lived, worked and served in Kamchatka today, with a bit of irony, but also not without pride, cherishing their memories, call themselves Kamchadals. On the Internet, you can easily get into the “Kamchadal chat” of Muscovites and St. Petersburg residents.
Culture
Groups of mixed-race population of Kamchatka began to take shape in the middle of the 18th century. Russian settlers adopted their economic system and way of life from the aborigines. There was bilingualism, then the “Kamchatka dialect” of the Russian language arose. It was preserved until recently among the older generation of Kamchadals. The worldview of the Kamchadals was characterized by dual faith: the foundations of Orthodox dogma and ritual were intertwined with traditional beliefs and fishing rituals. IN Lately Among the Kamchadals, along with the return of interest in Orthodoxy, an intensive process of revival of the ancient pagan elements of Kamchadal culture is taking place. Based on local traditions, literary data, as well as borrowings from the culture of modern Itelmens, the Kamchadals are reviving ritual calendar holidays: the spring holiday of the First Fish (the traditional occupation of the Kamchadals is fishing), the autumn holiday - “Alhalalalai”.
Right to recognition
Until 1926, the Kamchadal people were written in official documents. But in preparation for the population census, the question arose about the official recording of the nationality of the native population. If everything was clear with the Koryaks, Chukchi and other nationalities of the peninsula, then a question arose with the Kamchadals. In 1927, a resolution was adopted: “to state that that part of the population of the peninsula that calls itself Kamchadals, speaks Russian and lives sedentary, should not be classified among the small indigenous peoples of the northern outskirts.” The decision was made without thoroughly studying the problem. The Kamchadals living in the southern regions of the peninsula were and are still engaged in traditional activities; they had their own settlement territories, established way of life, their own culture, but due to intensive assimilation, the Kamchadals lost their language. And so, on the basis of the absence of this sign, they were excommunicated from their nationality and included among the Russians. Although in world practice there are many examples when peoples speak the language of other peoples, for example, the inhabitants of Brazil speak Portuguese.
At the end of the 80s, the Kamchadals united into a regional Association for self-identification and legal protection of their interests. In 1991, the Kamchatka Regional Council adopted a temporary regulation that recognized the presence in the Kamchatka region. ethnic group- Kamchadals. In the region, 9 thousand people have registered as members of traditional Kamchadal communities. Kamchadal clubs appeared in villages and cities, materials on the culture of the Kamchadals were collected in the regional, Milkovsky and Sobolevsky museums.
Farm
The main branch of the economy is summer-autumn salmon fishing with nets and seines woven from nettles, horsehair, and purchased strands. In winter and spring, char, grayling, and navaga were caught using snouts, seines, and fishing rods. Salmon was dried, salted and fermented. Dog breeding and musher carriage - transportation of goods and passengers on a sled pulled by 10-12 dogs - developed. Sled dog breeding of the Kamchadals of the East Siberian type. The hunting industry was dominated by the hunting of fur-bearing animals (squirrel, sable, ermine, fox); hunting of birds and meat land animals was carried out with guns and with the help of jaws, loops, traps, and scoops. Pinnipeds (sealed seals, seals, and seals) were hunted with nets, clubs, and guns. To a limited extent they were engaged in gardening (potatoes, vegetables), keeping cattle and horses, and barley and oats were grown in Kamchatka. They collected sarana, wild garlic, wild onions, berries, and mushrooms. Summer means of transportation are dugout boats (bats and kayaks), winter means of transportation are sleds with dog sleds.
Traditional housing
The Kamchadals developed syncretic forms material culture. Winter compact settlements with stationary dwellings in the form of a log hut with a bark covering were located near the mouths of spawning rivers; in the summer, Kamchadals lived scatteredly in fishing areas - along rivers and sea coasts - in prefabricated frame buildings (cookhouses, booths). Ancillary buildings - barns, sheds for livestock (khotons, flocks).
Traditional clothing
The types of winter clothing of the Kamchadals were borrowed from the indigenous population: men wore double jackets and trousers made of deer fur, women wore single gagagli shirts with fur inside, fur coats with a swing cut. The shoes were kamus torbas of different lengths, the headdress was malakhai (men), kapor (women). In the summer they wore European-style clothing, which was combined with winter pants, a shirt, and gloves. The fishermen's summer-autumn shoes were saras and brodni made of seal skins.
Meaning of the word
The word “Kamchadals” is used in at least six meanings.
1. Initially, the Russians called this the indigenous inhabitants of Kamchatka - Itelmens. And in this meaning the word continues to circulate in historical and historical-geographical literature.
2. Later, when the mixing of newcomer Russians with the Itelmen aborigines began, the word “Kamchadal” began to designate the descendants of these mixed marriages, who, as a rule, spoke two languages - Itelmen and Russian - and developed a special dialect of the Russian language. And it is precisely in this meaning that modern ethnography most often takes the word “Kamchadals”.
3. The name of a people (ethnonym), akin to a geographical name (toponym), is always attractive for expanded use. Therefore, the name “Kamchadals” often began to be extended to the entire old-time Russian population (who lived for many generations in Kamchatka), without really attaching importance to whether and in what proportion they had an admixture of Itelmen blood.
4. In the modern vocabulary of the Kamchatka media and even in everyday administrative vocabulary, the word “Kamchadals” is sometimes used as a collective name for all the indigenous peoples of Kamchatka (otherwise some educated provincial figure will break his tongue, listing: Itelmens, Koryaks, Chukchi, Kamchadals, Alyutors, Kereks...).
5. When the wave of political correctness and “meeting the sun” tolerance reached Kamchatka, they realized that even these ideas could be used to their advantage. That it is possible to receive some federal money and benefits for support programs for indigenous peoples. Then the idea was born to enroll in the Kamchadals as many inhabitants of the peninsula as possible who have at least some roots here, regardless of genes. As we will see below, the intervention of the prosecutor's office was required to cool the heads overwhelmed by this plan.
6. Many people who lived, worked and served in Kamchatka today, with a bit of irony, but also not without pride, cherishing their memories, call themselves Kamchadals. On the Internet, you can easily get into the “Kamchadal chat” of Muscovites and St. Petersburg residents. (S.R.)
Origin
The Kamchadals, in a strict ethnographic sense, are an ethnic group of mestizo origin, descendants from mixed marriages of the aboriginal sedentary population and Russian old-timers of Kamchatka. Russians began to marry Koryaks and Itelmens, and a new nationality was formed, which began to be called “Kamchadals”. According to the 1926 census, their number was 3,704 people. According to the Association of Indigenous Minorities of Kamchatka, in 1994 there were about 9 thousand members of Kamchadal communities. In 2000, the Kamchadals were included in the Unified List of Indigenous Minorities of the Russian Federation.
Settlement
Descendants of the Kamchadals, associated with traditional farming, live in Sobolevsky, Bolsheretsky, Milkovsky, Ust-Kamchatsky and Elizovsky districts of the Kamchatka region. The group of mixed-race population of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky considers itself to be Kamchadals. A small part of the population of mixed origin, identifying themselves as Kamchadals, lives in the Tigil and Penzhinsky districts of the Koryak Autonomous Okrug. and Olsk district of Magadan region.
Culture
Groups of mixed-race population of Kamchatka began to take shape in the middle of the 18th century. Russian settlers adopted their economic system and way of life from the aborigines. There was bilingualism, then the “Kamchatka dialect” of the Russian language arose. Until recently, it was preserved by the older generation of Kamchadals. The worldview of the Kamchadals was characterized by dual faith: the foundations of Orthodox doctrine and rituals were intertwined with traditional beliefs and trade rituals. Recently, among the Kamchadals, along with the return of interest in Orthodoxy, an intensive process of revival of the ancient pagan elements of Kamchadal culture has been taking place. Based on local traditions, literary data, as well as borrowings from the culture of modern Itelmens, the Kamchadals are reviving ritual calendar holidays: the spring holiday of the First Fish (the traditional occupation of the Kamchadals is fishing), the autumn holiday - “Alhalalalai” (see pp. 31–32). (Kamchatka region. Local history page)
Right to recognition
Until 1926, the Kamchadal people were written in official documents. But in preparation for the population census, the question arose about the official recording of the nationality of the native population. If everything was clear with the Koryaks, Chukchi and other nationalities of the peninsula, then a question arose with the Kamchadals. In 1927, a resolution was adopted: “to state that that part of the population of the peninsula that calls itself Kamchadals, speaks Russian and lives sedentary, should not be classified among the small indigenous peoples of the northern outskirts.” The decision was made without thoroughly studying the problem. The Kamchadals living in the southern regions of the peninsula were and are still engaged in traditional activities; they had their own settlement territories, established way of life, their own culture, but due to intensive assimilation, the Kamchadals lost their language. And so, on the basis of the absence of this sign, they were excommunicated from their nationality and included among the Russians. Although in world practice there are many examples when peoples speak the language of other peoples, for example, the inhabitants of Brazil speak Portuguese.
At the end of the 80s, the Kamchadals united into a regional Association for self-identification and legal protection of their interests. In 1991, the Kamchatka Regional Council adopted a temporary regulation that recognized the presence in the Kamchatka region. ethnic group - Kamchadals. In the region, 9 thousand people have registered as members of traditional Kamchadal communities. Kamchadal clubs appeared in villages and cities, materials on the culture of the Kamchadals were collected in the regional, Milkovsky and Sobolevsky museums.
(Anna Aseeva//www.indigenous.ru)
In the village of Milkovo (200 km north of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky) there is an ethnocultural center of the Kamchadals, which is a reconstructed 17th-century fort, a yaranga, a museum with utensils, shamanic costumes, and kukhlyankas. Descendants of Itelmens and Cossacks live in Milkovo. The museum revives ancient holidays.
Who are today's "Kamchadals"
and why is it profitable to be a Kamchadal? All June members public organization indigenous people peoples of the North , living in Klyuchi (village / former city
For the needs of members of the public organization of indigenous peoples of the Northern Keys, it was allowed to harvest 18 tons of sockeye salmon, 4.7 tons of chinook salmon, almost 14 tons of chum salmon, and 6.8 tons of coho salmon. Thus, each member of the organization will receive an average of 46 kg of fish. Kamchadal residents were lucky: almost the entire month of July, sockeye salmon were caught in nets, and fishermen returned with good catches - 200-300 kg each. There is no doubt that all Kamchadal residents will be provided with fish this year. (Ust-Kamchatskie news. 06.29.2006)
Where does the fish go that was caught and intended specifically for members of the Association of Indigenous Minorities of the North of Ust-Kamchatsk?
The problem is that for several years now the region has been carefully allocating salmon fishing limits for the local Evens, Koryaks and Itelmens, but the natives of Ust-Kamchatsk practically do not see salmon. “They brought the tail of a chum salmon once at three o’clock in the morning, and that’s all,” explained one of those present. And they are allocated more than 50 tons per year.
But who gets the fish then? “Two or three people are making money hiding behind your names,” the district leaders repeated at the meeting. Most representatives of the association are also convinced of this and accuse their chairman (who, by the way, has a Russian surname) of catching and selling their fish.
According to the results of the last census, just over 30 representatives of indigenous nationalities of Kamchatka lived in the area. It is not clear on what basis more than three hundred people signed up for the Association of Minority Peoples of the North.
Many explain their right to be a member by the fact that their parents were once born in Ust-Kamchatsk. They refer to a federal law, the authors of which recently included the “Kamchadals” among the small people of the North. What kind of nationality this is, the legislators do not explain. Therefore, almost everyone born in Ust-Kamchatsk considers themselves “root Kamchadals,” as one grandmother defined it.
They got together only to get free fish. At the same time, those who by law have the right to this are often left with nothing. “I want to close this feeding trough once and for all,” the head of the district states categorically. - The administration agrees to take upon itself the responsibility to provide for representatives of the small peoples of the North, and old-timers, and those who were born in Ust-Kamchatsk. Starting next year we will compose, we will control how much fish goes to whom. And for representatives of the indigenous peoples of the North, we will allocate limits for exactly as many people as will live in the area according to the upcoming census. Veterans and pensioners over 70 years old receive 50 kg of salmon each. They are brought fresh, good fish from seines, this year they set aside 100 tons for them, they are grateful and satisfied. But representatives of the association, probably, like last year, will come in the fall to complain to me that they are left without fish.” (Olga Gorbikova (Ust-Kamchatsk)//kamchatka.km.ru.10.07.2002)
The fight for the Kamchadals
In 1998, the regional prosecutor's office protested the illegal normative act, accepted Legislative Assembly Kamchatka region, - the law “On territorial-economic communities (communities) of indigenous peoples of the North of the Kamchatka region.” The prosecutor's office came to the conclusion that this law does not comply with the government decree defining the list of areas inhabited by indigenous peoples of the North. In Kamchatka region. these include Koryak Autonomous District, Aleutian and Bystrinsky districts. Federal law indigenous peoples are those living on the territory of Russia and numbering less than 50 thousand people.
In the law they adopted, regional deputies identified such a small nationality as the Kamchadals, giving them the definition of “an ethnic community historically formed in the Kamchatka region.” The prosecutor's office saw this as an abuse of power, since the Constitution clearly states that in the sphere of national legal relations, the subjects of the federation are authorized to regulate the rights of indigenous peoples, but not to establish their status.
Maybe we would like the population of the Kamchatka region to enjoy some benefits and advantages just because they were born and live in this territory, but there are many more than 50 thousand of us.
The case has been transferred to the Supreme Court. After his decision, it will finally become known who the Kamchadals are... (iks.ru.21.01.1999)
How and why it “grows”
number of Kamchadals
Milkovsky district is considered one of the fishing districts on the peninsula. Fishermen, medium-sized businesses that work on rivers and the coast, on seines, need stability so that areas are fairly distributed, and quotas are assigned to the areas in appropriate shares.
The district administration is striving to ensure that the issue of the small peoples of the North, the indigenous inhabitants, is finally resolved. At one time, a program began to operate, based on which all indigenous residents were required to provide proof of their affiliation with the indigenous people. In general, it is necessary to determine the number of Kamchadals. For example, in the Milkovsky district, according to documents giving “rights to fish,” there are 2,250 Kamchadals. It was they who wrote themselves into small peoples North. It is curious that when the population census took place, only 600 people declared that they considered themselves Kamchadals. 600 and 2250 - you yourself understand what a huge difference between these numbers. There is a need to think about how many users should be allocated limits.
It is necessary for representatives of small nations to unite not only to share fish. (Vladimir Yampolsky // Kamchatka time. 08.29.2003)
What, by the way, is the fundamental difference between modern Itelmens, who have a strong admixture of Russian blood and speak mainly Russian, and modern Kamchadals, allegedly descended from Itelmens and Russians and Russian speaking, the compiler of this material was not really able to find out.
This figure differs greatly from that obtained during the census (the table will be in the next issue). Below it will become clear why.
Itelmens
(itemen, distorted in early records-itelmen, obsolete: Kamchadaly)
A look from the past
“Description of all the living peoples in the Russian state” 1772-1776:
Unlike the Koryaks, who are increasingly engaged in reindeer breeding, the Kamchadals continue to seek their livelihood in hunting and fishing. Kamchatka forests are very rich, and the living creatures in them are diverse. Hunting for fur-bearing animals is especially productive in winter. This is the main means of subsistence of the Kamchadals and almost their only product.
Kamchadals lovingly breed and raise dogs, which live incomparably better than other domestic animals - horses and bulls.
Kamchatka dogs are seasoned for long journeys and, despite bad roads and uneven ground, they run tirelessly over long distances. They differ little from peasant yard dogs; but the Kamchadals completely remade these animals in their own way: they accustomed them to different food, and to different treatment, and to a unique method of training. Of all the Siberian dogs, Kamchatka dogs are the best in terms of running speed. They are so hot that they often injure their limbs while running, and from excessive effort their fur is often covered with sweat and blood.
They are very strong: four dogs can carry three people along with their luggage and travel from 30 to 40 miles a day on bad roads and up to 80 miles on a good road.
Even if education ever penetrates Kamchatka, and its inhabitants become more developed than now, still the local and climatic conditions will not change and will always force them to prefer riding dogs to any other riding.
V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, “Country of Cold”, 1877:
- The Kamchadals are far from attractive. Imagine a clumsy, short, dark and high-cheeked savage with suspiciously shifting eyes, tenacious and thin hands, as if with a creeping gait, in every movement of which servility and slyness are evident. To this it must be added that they almost never wash themselves and have a special, unique smell of rotten fish. Women are especially disgusting to them. Here uncleanliness reaches its apogee. These are just walking menageries - and the horror of one American who had to spend several days between these graceful representatives of the fair sex is understandable.
The occupations of the Kamchadals are determined by the seasons. In the summer they catch and dry fish, collect various roots, berries and fly agarics; in the fall they continue fishing, kill birds, geese, swans, ducks, and harvest timber; in winter they hunt for sable and fox, weave nets for fish, make sleds, and transport supplies from summer fishing huts to their yurts. In the spring, sea animal trades and beaver fishing begin. All these jobs are strictly divided between men and women: the former beat and catch the beast, the latter prepare it. The former build yurts and booths, the latter sew dresses.
The food of the Kamchadals consists mainly of yukola, prepared from all fish of the salmon genus. They divide each fish into six parts. The sides and tail are air-dried, the backs and tails are specially prepared. The heads are fermented in pits until all the cartilage turns red - and despite the terrible stench, they are eaten as a delicacy. The meat remaining on the bones is removed, dried and pounded to add to the brew, and the bones are prepared for dogs. This is followed by fish roe, which is dried along with willow and birch bark and eaten during fishing and hunting. They also eat the meat and fat of seal, walrus and other sea animals, preparing it with various roots and herbs. Berries and roots complement their unpretentious menu.
During holidays and feasts, Kamchadals drink an infusion of fly agaric, or after drying this mushroom, swallow it whole. Following this, intoxication sets in almost immediately: this is the same hashish. Russian Cossacks who used this drug tell the most amazing things about it. So, the fly agaric ordered them to hang themselves, to kill themselves, and this order would certainly have been carried out by them if not for their comrades who stopped the drunkards leaving in time. Another Cossack imagined hell and fiery Gehenna, and the same fly agaric ordered him to confess, which he began out loud to the amusement of his laughing interlocutors, revealing to them all his secrets. Koryaks and Chukchi eat fly agaric when they are about to kill someone or decide on a dangerous undertaking.
The Kamchadals also sing at their feasts. Their songs are monotonous, although their rhythm and motives are not without their pleasantness. Songs, mostly of love content, are composed by their girls and women.
There are a lot of strange things in the customs of the Kamchadals. This is how, for example, they recently became acquainted. If one Kamchadal wanted to get along with another, then he, having previously prepared all kinds of supplies for ten, invited his future friend to visit him. For this occasion, the yurt was heated to the point of impossibility. The owner and the guest sat in it undressed. Then the latter was offered food - and while he ate, the owner poured water onto the hot stones of the hearth. The guest, according to an eyewitness, tries to eat everything that the owner has prepared and endure the heat, and the owner tries to make the guest pray and ask for freedom from food and the heat. The guest has no right to leave the yurt, but the owner is allowed to leave it whenever he pleases. The guest is bribed with dogs or a dress.
Modern sources
Itelmens are the people, indigenous people Kamchatka Peninsula.
Ethnonym
The name Itelmen is a Russian adaptation of the self-name “itenmen” (“existing”, “living here”).
Number and settlement
At the end of the 17th century. The Itelmen occupied the central part of the Kamchatka Peninsula.
The northern border of settlement on the west coast was the Tigil river, on the east - the river. Uka. In the south, Itelmen settlements stretched to the very tip of the peninsula.
Their total number at the end of the 17th century. was more than 15 thousand people.
In the XVIII - early XIX centuries The Itelmens were divided into a number of large local divisions with their own self-names and cultural characteristics: Kamchatka, Avacha, Bolsheretsk, Western, Khairyuzov.
With the entry of Kamchatka into the Russian state, the majority territorial groups The Itelmens found themselves in a zone of intensive contacts with the Russians.
As a result of military clashes with the Cossacks and epidemics, their numbers quickly declined.
From the second half of the 19th century. the process of cultural-ethnic disappearance accelerated.
It was especially intense in the river valley. Kamchatka.
It passed more slowly on the western coast of the peninsula.
By the middle of the 19th century. The Itelmens kept it there native language, many elements of traditional culture.
They were recorded as Itelmens in the 1926/27 census.
To date, according to the 2010 census, only 3,093 Itelmen people have been recorded.
They live on the Kamchatka Peninsula, mainly in the Tigilsky and Milkovsky districts of the Kamchatka Territory and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (2,361 people), as well as in the Magadan region (600 people).
The number of Itelmens in populated areas(according to the 2002 census)
(indicated municipalities, where the share of Kamchadals in the population exceeds 5%).
Kamchatka Territory (2296 people, 2002):
Tigil village 355 people.
Village Kovran 265 people.
City of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky 265 people.
Milkovo village 233 people.
Ust-Khairyuzovo village 156 people.
Urban settlement Palana 130 people.
Sedanka village 130 people.
Sobolevo village 119 people.
Magadan region (643 people, 2002):
City of Magadan 231
Village Tauisk 114
Town Ola 109
Anthropological features of the Itelmens
Anthropologically, the Itelmens are included in the mainland group of populations of the Arctic small race of the northern Mongoloids.
The uniqueness of the racial characteristics of the peoples included in this group (Chukchi, Eskimos, Koryaks, Itelmens), in comparison with other Siberian Mongoloids, lies in a slight weakening of the Mongoloid complex: a higher nose bridge, a less flat face, darker pigmentation, protruding lips.
Based on these characteristics, anthropologists establish a connection between the Arctic race and the Pacific Mongoloids rather than the inland Mongoloids.
Ethnogenesis
The formation of the Itelmens is associated with the Mesolithic culture of wandering hunters and fishermen, which was characteristic of a very vast territory.
The origins of this culture go back to the regions of eastern Mongolia, from where it later spread to a large part of eastern Siberia and northeast Asia.
In the early Neolithic in northeast Asia, local regional cultures begin to form.
One of them, Tarya, covered the central and southern part of Kamchatka.
Most researchers are inclined to believe that the ancient Itelmens were its bearers.
But in addition to local, Kamchatka roots, the Itelmens also have other genetic origins.
Many cultural features of the Itelmen bear the imprints of a different natural and geographical environment, making them related to the peoples of the Amur region, Primorye, and North America.
Language
The Itelmen language is usually classified as belonging to the Chukchi-Kamchatka family.
There is an unconventional point of view, according to which the Itelmen language is included in this family only on areal grounds; it has no genetic connection with the Chukchi and Koryak languages.
Linguistically, the Itelmens once comprised three large groups: eastern, southern and western.
Only the western Itelmen language, which has experienced significant influence from Koryak, has been relatively preserved.
There are 4 dialects: Napansky, Sedankinsky, Sopochnovsky, Khairyuzovsky.
Only 18.8% of Itelmens, mainly representatives of the older generation, consider the Itelmen language as their native language.
Traditional home
Winter dwellings were rectangular or oval half-dugouts (yurts) with a wooden vault supported by pillars.
The smoke from the hearth came out through a side hole.
They went down into the yurt along a log with crossbars through the top hole. Typically, from 5 to 12 families spent the winter in a dugout.
For summer fishing, each family moved into a pile structure made of poles with a conical top; nearby structures were built from poles and grass, in which fish were cleaned and cooked.
It has been confirmed that at least in the 18th century. The Itelmens had four-walled log huts. 
And from outbuildings - barns and premises for livestock
Religion
The religious beliefs and rituals of the Itelmen are based on Pantheism and Animism.
The demiurge of the visible world - Kutka or Kutga, perhaps comes from the Mongolian “kut” = “frost”.
It was the cold that must have seemed to the first settlers in Kamchatka the main factor determining their lives.
The constant ridicule that the Itelmen made towards Kutka, telling obscene stories about him, almost in a Dionysian spirit, can be explained by the victory over the frost after Kutka taught how to build underground dwellings.
Having taught, Kutka went to the country of the Koryaks, where it is much colder than in Kamchatka.
Kutka’s wife is Khakhi, perhaps from the Old Turkic “khat” = “beauty, order, harmony”; the myth says that she was very beautiful and smart.
His son Dezelkut, perhaps, from “tes” = “likeness, image” + “kut” = “Likeness of Kutka.”
Of the “Master Spirits”, the “master of the sea” Mitg, who provides the main food product - fish, was especially revered.
The goblin, just like among the Slavs and Turks, luring into the thicket - Ushakhchu, may have a correspondence in “uh” (Proto-Bulgarian) = “owl”.
Vilyukai lives in the clouds, “vilem” = “death”, since, according to legend, after death a person moves to heaven.
Lord underworld- Hatch.
There were shamanic rituals.
Women usually acted as shamans.
The cosmological knowledge of the Itelmens is amazing.
Although they consider the earth to be flat, they think that the underside of our flat earth- this is the underground sky, and when it’s summer there, it’s winter here, and vice versa.
Rain penetrates the ground and irrigates underground earth, which has full correspondence in Slavic-Turkic mythologies about the Underground Ocean.
They also have legends about the Great Flood, and about the salvation of some of those warned on rafts, like the peoples of Western Asia.
They are familiar with the constellation Ursa Major, which they call Hana, which means “moving constellation.”
In September, the Itelmens held “Alhalalalai,” the most important ritual calendar holiday of purification, marking the completion of the economic cycle.
In the holiday, elements of myths about the creation of the world and rituals associated with thanksgiving to nature were reproduced in ritual form.
Paying tribute to their ancestors, Kovran residents and guests of the holiday climbed the legendary Mount Elvel.
According to custom, during the ceremonies sacrificial figures of Khantai, Nustakhchakh, Azhushak, made by local artisans, are installed.
After the conversion of the Itelmens in 1740 - 1747. Orthodox rituals began to spread into Christianity - baptism, weddings, funeral services.
Already in the first quarter of the nineteenth century. travelers noted Orthodox cemeteries in Kamchadal villages.
A tradition has been established of giving Russian names to children at baptism.
The Itelmens were listed as parishioners of Kamchatka churches, and the first Russian surnames were derived from the surnames of the clergy and servicemen.
Calendar
The culture and mythology of the Itelmens show a clear influence of ancient Turkic peoples.
An extremely stable feature of the culture of a people is the calendar.
The very designation of time among the Itelmens is “utkuakh”, “asich” (among the inhabitants of the west coast) and “letkul”, “elchich” (among the inhabitants of the eastern coast), and the antiquity of these words is indicated by the fact that the Itelmens no longer understood their meaning.
In Old Turkic “ut” = “walk”, “as” = “memory”, “lata” = “order”, “elker” = “Pleiades”, by which Homer’s heroes determined time.
Thus, we get a whole set of definitions concerning the properties of time.
Another clearly Turkic trace is the counting of time not by the sun, but by the moon; Namely, the Itelmens define a year as a certain number of lunations.
But, since lunar year shorter than the sun, they adjusted the lunations to the seasons so that, unlike the Muslims, the beginning of the year did not move throughout the calendar.
A month is directly defined as the interval between new moons.
The names of the months have a clear etymology from Itelmen, so they are probably late.
The word “month” itself, as in Russian and other Indo-Europeans, is a synonym for “Moon”, “coach”.
In Old Turkic “kukal” = “pie”.
There is an analogy here - both objects, the pie and the Moon, are round.
Summer" is called "adamas" in Itelmen, which has a direct analogy with the Turkic "azamat", "dawn, light".
Transfer month Tahuacoach, May month of arrival of waders Coacoach, June cuckoo time Ehtemstacoach, July summer month Kihsuacoach, August Moonlight(the night fishing season begins in August) koasuhtacoach, September is the month of falling leaves piquiscoach, October is the month of the little bird "peak" kazakoach, November nettle month - drying nettles nokkooos nabil, December "I'm frostbitten" syusacoach, January "don't touch me" kichakoach, February is the month of the ladder (by which they climbed into their homes) Adukoach, March is the month of the chimney hole (it begins to thaw first, indicating the arrival of spring) Masgalkoach, April is the month of the wagtail
Traditional farming
The basis of the Itelmens’ livelihood was river fishing, whichsalmon fish.
In the sea they hunted navaga (on ice), smelt, and capelin.
The fishing grounds were owned by the neighboring community.
Fish, mainly salmon, were caught from April to November.
Fishing methods and gear were traditional - nets, seines, locks - structures in the form of a fence or wattle fence made of willow grass, blocking a river or part of it, with “gates” in which wicker traps in the form of a funnel (top, muzzle) or bag-like nets were placed.
Women were engaged in gathering.
Residents of the sea coast hunted for pinnipeds, the skins and fat of which served as objects of trade among both local population, and with the reindeer Koryaks.
The latter exchanged reindeer skins, meat, and tendons.
The hunt was of an auxiliary nature.
They hunted mainly bighorn sheep, wild reindeer, and waterfowl during the molting period.
Special rituals were associated with bear hunting and eating its meat.
Furs served as an exchange item.
Traps and snares were set for sable and fox, and they were also driven with dogs.
In the summer they traveled on boats, hollowed out of poplar.
In winter - on dog sledding with sledges having two pairs of arched spears and a saddle-shaped seat.
We went on skis - long, sliding ones and “paws” - short stepping ones.
Utensils were made from birch bark, axes were made from deer and whale bone or stone (jasper), knives, arrows, spearheads were made from volcanic glass - obsidian.
The Itelmens also used products woven from sedge: baskets, boxes, which were carried behind their backs using a leather or fabric belt.
Women fastened the belt on their foreheads, men - on their chests.
These baskets were used to carry berries, plant tubers, cedar cones, and cargo during the transition to fishing or field camps.
This type of utensil was used by almost all nationalities living on the territory of the Kamchatka Peninsula.
Knives, arrowheads and spearheads were made from metal using cold forging.
Fire was produced by friction.
There is evidence of cattle ranching and vegetable gardening long before the Russians arrived in the region.
Artistic bone carving was developed.
Traditional clothing
Winter clothing, both men's and women's, were thick fur coats with a hood - kukhlyankas (below the knees) and kamleya (to the toes), which were sewn from double deer fur - with the fur in and out.
In winter, men and women wore pants with fur inside, in summer they wore suede ones.
Summer clothing often served as worn-out winter clothing, which in the fisheries was supplemented with raincoats and shoes made from tanned fish skins.
Female home clothes there was a jumpsuit, a man's - a leather loincloth.
Winter shoes were made from reindeer skins, complemented with fur stockings, and summer shoes were made from pinniped skins.
Winter fur hats had the appearance of a hood, and summer ones, similar to Aleutian ones, were made from birch bark or feathers and sticks.
Steller wrote: “The most elegant kukhlyankas are trimmed at the collar and sleeves, as well as at the hem, with dog hair, and hundreds of tassels made of seal hair, dyed red, are hung on the caftan, which dangle from side to side with every movement.”
Such clothing of the Itelmens created the impression of fluffiness and shaggyness.
Itelmen women had a custom: to wear wigs.
The one with the larger and more luxurious wig was revered most of all.
These fashionistas always walked with their heads uncovered.
The girls braided their heavy, raven-black hair into many small braids and, for greater chic, covered them with hair extensions woven in the form of caps.
Maybe that’s why the Chukchi and Koryaks could call the Itelmen Kamchadals, because in both languages “Kamcha” means “curly”, “shaggy”, and “levyt”, “lyavyt” (Chukot.) and “lev’it”, “lav” 'yt" (Koryak) - "head".
music and dancing
Music is characterized by several local variants, studied differently.
By the beginning of the 1990s. three of them were known: two western - Kovran and Tigil and one eastern - Kamchadal.
Music, instruments and genres are interconnected with the folklore traditions of the Koryaks, Kuril Ainu and Evens.
Itelmen music is divided into song, dance, instrumental and narrative.
A song melody accompanies an improvised text.
Songs with lyrical text among the Kovran people are called chaka'les (from chak'al - “throat”, “mouth”), among the Tigil people - repnun (from repkuyo - “to hum”, “to sing”).
Lullabies, although they are distinguished terminologically (among the Kovrans - corvelho, among the Tigils - carvelho), do not have their own melodies, but are sung to various standard melodies.
The texts of the spells, found only among the Kovran people, are sung to ritual melodies (kmali chineh).
The Itelmen know 16 musical and sound-producing instruments under the general name ma'lyanon - “playing object”. The Itelmen tambourine (yayar) is related to the Koryak one.
There was also a wooden plate-shaped jew's harp (varyga).
A flute made of angelica with an external whistle slot without holes for the fingers is called a kov among the Kovran people, and a koun among the Tigil people.
“The Itelmens themselves, in turn, have their own ancient, special dances, which they call “khayuteli” near the Penzhina Sea, and “kuzelkingga” on the Kamchatka River.
The main dance consists of all the women and girls sitting in a circle, then one of them jumps up, sings a song and raises her hands, on the middle fingers of which hangs a long strand of soft grass ehei. The women wave these strands of grass in every possible way, while spinning and spinning so quickly that it seems as if their whole body is shaking from a feverish chill, with individual parts of the body each making their own special movement in different directions.
Their dexterity is difficult to describe in words and cannot be sufficiently marveled at.
While singing, they imitate the cries of various animals and birds, performing absolutely inimitable throat tricks: it seems as if you hear two or three voices at the same time.
This skill is especially distinguished by women in Nizhny Ostrog and along the Kamchatka River.”
(Georg Steller about the musical abilities of the Itelmens “On the festivities and entertainments of the Itelmens” from G.-W. Steller’s work “Description of the Land of Kamchatka”)
National cuisine
Fish served as the main food and food for dogs.
It was prepared for future use: dried and fermented in pits, less often baked and smoked, and frozen in winter. Salmon caviar was dried and fermented.
They ate meat from animals and birds less often.
The meat and fat of sea animals floated in the pits, and the intestines and stomachs were used as containers for storing food.
With fish and meat they ate many different herbs, roots, saran tubers, and berries.
They collected pine nuts and waterfowl eggs.
In the household, the Itelmens used wooden and birch bark utensils and utensils made from grass.
Food was cooked in wooden troughs using hot stones.
Boiled meat or fish was placed on large wooden board dishes with slightly raised edges and eaten with hands, washed down with some kind of seasoning from a small wooden cup.
Kamchadals and Kamchatians.
Residents of the Kamchatka peninsula divide themselves into Kamchadals and Kamchatkas.
Those who were born and raised in Kamchatka consider themselves Kamchadals. Kamchatkas are considered to be those who came from the mainland and live in Kamchatka. Distinguish by external signs, last names or first names, these two nationalities are impossible.
There are, of course, real Kamchadals, Koryaks, Itelmens, descendants of the discoverers of Kamchatka, the Cossacks of Atlasov's squad, the crews of the sailing ships of the HOLY APOSTLES PETER and PAUL. And also the merchants and service people who arrived after them. All this has become so mixed up over time that sometimes they themselves cannot determine which category of the population they belong to.
Kamchadals do not know how to swim. And they are a little proud of it. They have no place to learn to swim. Although huge Pacific Ocean splashes near the shores of the peninsula on one side and the Sea of Okhotsk on the other.
Still, no one swims there, unless a Kamchatka resident in a drunken stupor jumps into a coastal wave for a moment, or a visiting tourist, for the sake of self-affirmation, plunges into cold waters. Kamchatka residents know how to swim, since they came from the mainland, where they learned this art in their pantsless childhood.
My neighbor Vasya lived in Kamchatka and doesn’t know how to swim. But like a real Kamchatan, he is an avid hunter. He has a good gun from the Tula factory,
and a whole box of hunting supplies, which on weekends he liked to sort through, wipe down, or simply rearrange. He liked this activity.
Once or twice a year, depending on his mood, Vasya, along with other hunters like him, went hunting. Laida's favorite hunting spot. Laida is the place where the Avacha River flows into the bay. Here, it flows through the swampy tundra and is divided into several branches. The tundra itself is covered with northern low-growing birch, alder and other small shrubs. Here and there, small lakes, fifty to one hundred meters in diameter, are scattered across the tundra. Herds of ducks fatten here before flying to resort countries. The abundance of food also attracted bears here; this place is their home.
During the hunting season, almost all the city hunters gathered there and, with their shooting, drove ducks from one lake to another.
The climate in these parts is unpredictable; even on a warm, sunny morning, on a short trip out of town, we took raincoats or warm jackets with us. Therefore, when going hunting, Vasya dressed appropriately. Warm underwear, waterproof trousers on top, a jacket, a canvas raincoat with a hood and rubber waders.
In this ammunition with a gun loaded with shot, one after another, he walked around the lakes, looking for game. They were shooting all around, and ducks were circling in large flocks at a height beyond the reach of guns. Vasya walked along the shore of the lake, no longer hoping for hunting happiness. At this time, a bear, frightened by the shooting, jumped out of the bushes right at him, and both were dumbfounded from the unexpected meeting. Vasya was the first to come to his senses, he threw the gun to the bear and jumped into the lake.
A few seconds later, I was on the opposite bank. Frightened by the hunter, the bear ran away around the lake, but Vasya was already there. New meeting shocked them. The bear rushed into the bushes, trying to hide from the annoying hunter, and Vasya again rushed into the lake and swam across it into reverse side. Having climbed ashore, Vasya looked around, the bear was nowhere to be found, his hunting companions were nowhere to be found, the gun lay on the grass.
That’s when he remembered, “I’m from Kamchatka, and I don’t know how to swim.” But his wet clothes and the water pouring out of his boots belied this. Then, for the first time in his life, he doubted that maybe he hadn’t lived in Kamchatka at all?
At this time, Vasya’s fellow hunters came out of the bushes. Having examined Vasya, who had been thrown onto the grass, his friends decided that he had fallen into the water. “How did this happen to you? Fall into the lake." They ask, “I didn’t fall anywhere, but just swam across this lake, there (he pointed to the opposite shore). And back” “That he swam just like that, in his boots.” They ask, “If you could see this beast on foot, you could run through the water and not get your feet wet.” Friends suggested making a fire. But at this time, about three hundred meters from the lake, desperate cries of hunters and indiscriminate shooting were heard.
“Your bear ran into someone again, let’s go, maybe you need help.”
And the hunters, together with the wet Vasya, ran towards the hysterical squeal.
When they reached the scene of the incident, no help was needed. It was all over. A barefoot hunter with bloody feet sat on the grass, and his fellow hunters were diligently bandaging them. Next to the hunter lay waders torn to shreds. The hunter screamed in pain, but the “medics”, not paying attention to his screams, did their job. Having bandaged the wounded man and calmed down a little, we began to analyze the incident. It turned out: Two bear cubs, probably confusing the hunter with their mother bear, followed him. Wherever he goes, they follow him. At first, he liked it, but then he began to get bored, and he remembered about the bear. I decided to drive away the annoying kids. He took a half-rotten branch and threw it at them. But that was not the case, the cubs began to be indignant. The real mother came running at the noise. The hunter dropped his gun and climbed a tree. Although it is difficult to call this crooked northern birch a tree. About four meters high, with a thin, curved trunk, it stood in the middle of a small clearing. And only fresh wounds on its trunk, exactly the same as on the hunter’s legs, confirmed the tragedy that had unfolded a few minutes ago. The cubs climbed up after the hunter, and the mother bear sat down near the tree and strictly watched her cubs play. There was nowhere to climb higher, the birch tree began to lean threateningly, preparing to throw off the uninvited guests. The hunter crossed his legs and began to call his friends for help. Taking advantage of the lack of help, the cubs began to take off the hunter’s boots. Outraged by such impudence, the hunter contrived to kick one of the cubs in his impudent face. The bear cub could not resist and fell from the tree. This fall gave him anger and strength. And with a growl, he again reached for his boots. The bear, seeing that the child had been hit, came closer, roared loudly and began to watch what was happening even more strictly. At this time, the hunters heard screams calling for help and hurried to their friend in trouble. While they were making their way through the bush, two little bandits tore the hunter's boots, along with his legs. The hunters who came running, seeing the mother bear and her cubs, opened random fire in the air, trying to scare away the beast. The bear, realizing that the odds were not on her side, called her playful children and proudly left. Friends helped the hunter down from the tree. At this time, wet Vasily and his friends came running. They quickly lit a fire to dry Vasya and boil tea. They drank two hundred grams, ate what their wives put in for them, and they immediately felt better. The lake didn't seem that big. And the bear sat a little further away. Only my feet are skinned and my boots are wet. Well, no problem, the boots will dry out, and the legs will heal by the next hunting season.
Petropavlovsk Kamchatsky.
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| Origin | Slavs Eastern Slavs Russians |
Kamchadaly- an ethnographic group of Russians, the old-time population of the modern territory of the Kamchatka Territory, Magadan Region, Chukotka, formed as a result of ethnic contacts of a few Russian settlers with representatives of aboriginal northern ethnic groups. In the 18th century the term Kamchadals denoted Itelmens.
The origin and culture of the Russian Kamchadals were most influenced by the Itelmens, and to a lesser extent also by the Koryaks and Chuvans. The language of the Kamchadals is Russian. The works of the traveler S.P. Krasheninnikov mention the names of local and dialect groups: Kshaagzhi, Kykhcheren, who lived between the Zhupanova and Nemtik rivers; chupagzhu or burin - between the Upper Kamchatka fort (Verkhnekamchatsky) and the Zhupanova River; lingurin - between the Nemtik and Belogolovaya rivers and kules - north of the Belogolovaya River.
A permanent Russian population appeared by the 1730s and, due to its small number, largely mixed with the aborigines of the region, and some of the Itelmen adopted the Russian language and culture, becoming part of the Kamchadals. By the beginning of the 20th century, there were about 3,600 people of the local Russian-Itelmen population in Kamchatka, who represented one ethnographic group with common features of culture and life and the Russian language of communication.
Share of Kamchadals by regions and cities of Russia
Number of Kamchadals in settlements of Kamchatka (according to the 2002 census)(municipalities where the share of Kamchadals in the population exceeds 5%) are indicated:
- village Klyuchi 472
- Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky city 216
- Ust-Kamchatsk village 182
(municipalities where the share of Kamchadals in the population exceeds 5%) are indicated:
The old-timers of the Sea of Okhotsk coast in the Magadan region, living in the villages of Ola, Gizhiga, Yamsk, Tauysk, Arman and others, also call themselves Kamchadals.
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Notes
Links
| 30x30px | Portal "Geography" |
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| 30x30px | Portal "Russian history " |
| 30px | [[|Kamchadals]] in Wikiquote |
| [[Lua error in Module:Wikidata/Interproject on line 17: attempt to index field "wikibase" (a nil value). |Kamchadaly]] in Wikisource | |
| 30px | [((localurl:Commons:Category: Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#property" was not found. ))?uselang=ru Kamchadal] on Wikimedia Commons |
| 30x30px | Project "Siberia" |
- Kamchadal- article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia.
Literature
- Peoples of Russia: pictorial album, St. Petersburg, printing house of the Public Benefit Partnership, December 3, 1877, Art. 527
- Khakhovskaya L. N. Kamchadaly of the Magadan region (history, culture, identification). Magadan, 2003
- V. S. Pikul "Wealth".
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Excerpt characterizing Kamchadaly
To my greatest surprise, instead of harsh stone caves, I saw a gentle, blue sea, on the sandy shore of which a woman stood. I immediately recognized her - it was Mary Magdalene... Radomir’s only love, his wife, the mother of his wonderful children... and his widow.She stood straight and proud, unbending and strong... And only on her clear, thin face lived a burning, hidden pain... She was still very similar to that wondrous, bright girl whom the North once showed me... only now her funny, sweet face was already darkened by real, “adult” sadness... Magdalena was beautiful with that warm and gentle feminine beauty that equally amazed both young and old, forcing them to honor her, stay with her, serve her, and love her , how can one love only a dream that suddenly became embodied in a person.... She stood very calmly, intently peering somewhere into the distance, as if expecting something. And next to her, tenaciously hugging her knees, huddled a tiny girl - the second little Magdalene!.. She looked amazingly like her mother - the same long golden hair... the same radiant Blue eyes... and the same funny, cheerful dimples on gentle smiling cheeks. The girl was amazingly pretty and funny. But the mother seemed so sad that the baby did not dare to disturb her, but only stood quietly, huddled closely, as if she was waiting for this strange, incomprehensible mother’s sadness to pass... A gentle breeze lazily played in the golden strands of Magdalena’s long hair, at times running over her tender cheeks, carefully touching them with the warm sea breeze... She stood frozen, like a statue, and only tense anticipation was clearly visible in her sad eyes... Suddenly, very far on the horizon, a white, fluffy dot appeared, slowly turning into distant sail. Magdalena immediately transformed and came to life, hugging her daughter tightly to her, and said as cheerfully as possible:
- Well, here we are, my treasure! You wanted to see where mom came to this country from? I wanted to, right?.. So you and I will sail far, far away until we reach the farthest shore, where our HOME is... You will love it as much as I loved it. I promise you.
Bending down, Magdalena wrapped her arms around her tiny daughter, as if wanting to protect her from the troubles that her refined, affectionate soul was ripening in their future.
- Mommy, tell me, will daddy also swim with us? We can't leave him here, can we? Is it true? - and suddenly, coming to her senses, she asked in surprise, “Why has he been gone for so long?.. We haven’t seen him for almost two months... Mom, where’s dad?”
Magdalena’s eyes became stern and detached... And I immediately realized that her little daughter did not yet know that dad would never sail anywhere with them again, since the same two months ago he finished his short life on the cross... Well, the unfortunate Magdalene, apparently, could not dare to tell this small, pure man about such a terrible, inhuman misfortune. And how could she tell her about this, so tiny and defenseless? How can I explain to her that there were people who hated her kind, bright dad?.. That they longed for his death. And that none of the Knights of the Temple - his friends - could save him?..
And she answered just as affectionately and confidently, trying to calm her alarmed baby.
“Daddy won’t sail with us, my angel.” Just like your beloved brother, Svetodar.... They have a duty that they must fulfill. You remember, I told you what debt is? Do you remember?.. We will sail together with friends - you and me... I know you love them. You will be fine with them, my dear. And I will always be with you. I promise you.
The girl calmed down and asked more cheerfully:
- Mom, tell me, are there a lot of little girls in your country? Will I have a girlfriend there? Otherwise I’m still with big people and big people... But it’s not interesting with them. And they don't know how to play.
- Well, dear, what about your uncle, Radan? – Magdalena asked smiling. – You’re always interested in him, aren’t you? And he tells you funny stories, doesn’t he?
The little girl thought for a minute, and then said very seriously:
– Well, maybe it’s not so bad with them, with adults. But I still miss my friends... I'm little, right? Well, my friends must be small. And adults should only be there sometimes.
Magdalena looked at her in surprise, and unexpectedly grabbed her daughter in her arms and loudly kissed her on both cheeks.
- You're right, honey! Adults should only play with you sometimes. I promise - we will find you the best one there good friend! You'll just have to wait a little. But you can do this, right? You are the most patient girl in the world, aren’t you?...
