ETHNIC SOCIALIZATION OF KAMCHATKAS INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND

FORMATION OF THEIR ETHNOPSYCHOLOGICAL FEATURES

_______________________________________
Buchek A.A.

Specific character of the personal
development of a man at the certain culture is
determined by the content of the process of
ethnic socialization. The terms ethnic
socialization or ethnization are understood
as the assimilation of spiritual values and
experience of the only ethnos the individual
belongs to. This notion is used in psychology
to denote the processes of development,
leading to the formation of conduct,
perception, values and attitudes of children,
peculiar to one of the ethnic groups, and they
begin to consider themselves and other people
as the members of similar communities. [4,
p.54]
With the birth of a man in the particular
ethnic surroundings his personality is formed
according to the directions and norms of the
social surroundings. Through the nearest
surroundings the personality in source of its
development joins to the specific character of
national culture, customs, and traditions which
come as an exterior factor of place
(Mukhina V.S.) in the system of social
relations and determines the features of
personality development.
Cultural and psychological influence is
connected with the active junction to the
ethnic values, taking place in the process of
socialization. The systems of values, interests,
sociality of a man, depends on that culture, in
which context his formation as a personality
happened. The development of a man as a
personality happens exactly in the context of a
certain culture, the search of own values,
formation of the character and world outlook.
As M.Mid considers, the culture should be
presented in the form of various teaching
instances, giving all necessary information
usefull for decision of social tasks to the
individual, put before him by the society.
Scientists state: Understanding of reality by a
man, including the level of a personal sense,
goes through the social experience of the
specific society. [12, p.65] At the same time
it is emphasized that realisation of ethno-
cultural peculiarities of the community, and
consequently, ethnic ideas, reflecting objective
properties and ties of the objects and
phenomena of ethno-cultural surroundings,
where the life of a personality goes by causes
the formation of ethnic self-identification its
defining personal belonging to the
community. [39, p.41]
The comparative historic studying of
the mechanisms of socialization, which a child
into the member of the definite, ethnic group
deserve special interest of the scientists.
According to the opinion of the scientists, the
importance of personals socialization is
determined in particular by occurred
transmission of culture along the time, i.e. the
transmission of cultural values from
generation to generation happens causes the
cultural succession. At the same time in every
definite case it is not the whole culture which
is transmitted, (abstract culture), but
particular ethnic culture; in the result of it in
the process of socialization the reproduction of
ethnos as socio-cultural unity takes place. [19]
Joining to the culture of own
nationality, realization of ethnic peculiarities
of own ethnic community (interiorization of
ethnic properties of the objects of ethno-
cultural surrounding) determine the formation
of the system of ethno-psychological traits of
the personality, which is able according to
A.R.Luria, to reflect the external reality, the
world of social relations and in the end its own
inner world, formed in the relations to the
objects of ethnic world and ethnic subjects.
[25]
Assimilation of socio-cultural
surrounding occurs in specific for every
ethnos, usual, constantly repeated in the
immediate experience of people events. Noted,
that these ethnic structures of daily routine,
commonness (peculiarities of national way of
life, various connections and relations of
people between each other) form the deep
basis of human life, national self-
consciousness and national originality of a
person. In mentality the ethnic structures of
daily routine are fixed in the form of some
original evidences, i.e. stable ideal instances,
strengthening habitual ties and relations of
own macrocosm. Functionally, images of daily
routine structures perfome the role of schemes
or reference points, where the perception of
environment social surrounding and
corresponding the construction of mans
conduct takes place. [7]
Comparative historical investigation of
the style of different peoples socialization [42,
43, 44, 45] shows, that in different types of
ethnic cultures their own models of upbringing
are built. Every ethnic system of upbringing
involves the peculiarities of individuals in its
own way, forming its own peculiar type of
personality.
The issue concerning close
interconnection between cultural surrounding
and type of personality formed within frames
has a long history in foreign ethno-
psychology. Scientific investigations of this
matter aim to explain the psychological
distinctions of people (M.Latsarus,
H.Shteintal, H.Spenser, V.Vundt, F.Boas,
R.Benedikt, M.Mid, M.Coal, S.Skribner,
J.Fablman, E.Ericson etc).
All of them contain the idea that
different types of the personality are the
products of different cultures. The properties
common for the people of the given culture
(the programmed model of socialization) come
to cognitive-affective structures.
However, in Andreeva G.M. opinion,
cultural symbols only cannot answer the
question about psychological differences of
the representatives of different ethnic groups.
[1]
The assertion that every subject has all
set of psychological features but different
cultures assist to develop only one of them and
dont help to develop the other individual
features (M.Coal, S.Skribner, I.S.Con etc) are
practiced on a large scale among the
researchers.
So, every ethnic culture forms the
specific image of a man as a personality. But
in this image, or as I.S.Con writes, system of
images, which is the natural norm for
individual, the individuality of the culture,
caused by its history is reflected. [20]
This article is devoted to the issue of
the influence of ethnic socialization of
aboriginal people of Kamchatka upon the
formation of their ethno-psychological specific
features.
Aboriginal population of the
Kamchatka peninsula (the Aleutians, the
Alutoritses, the Itelmens, the Kamchadals, the
Koryaks, the Chukchis, the Evens, the
Eskimos), included in the Unified list of
aboriginal peoples of Russian Federation [32,
p.63], has been the subject of scientific interest
of historians, ethnographers, archaeologists,
anthropologists, linguists already for hundreds
years, beginning from the fairy tales of
V.V.Atlasov, written in Yakutsk and Moscow
on the boundary of the 17
th
and 18
th
centuries,
classical works of the first researches, visited
Kamchatka S.P.Krasheninnikov, G.V.Steller,
K.Ditmar and V.V.Antropova, V.G.Bogoraz,
R.S.Vasileyvsky, I.S.Vdovin, I.S.Gurevich,
R.G.Lyapunova, I.I.Orlova,
A.K.Ponomarenko, S.N.Stebnitsky, etc.
We did not set ourselves an object of
this article to analyze separately the
representatives of different ethnic groups, but
to examine them as a whole as the
representatives of aboriginal ethnos of
Kamchatka, accepting ethnic originality of
every nation. There are several weighty
arguments in favor of unification of these
peoples. Let us to give some of them.
These peoples are unified because of
their common geographical location and
historical development. S.M.Shirokogorov
noticed that coastal regions, giving the
impulse of movement (fish and animal
trades), develop mobility and communication
with other nations: The spread of the peoples
along islands and coasts led to the contacts,
and mode the culture common to the whole
region. [41, p.56] The researches emphasize
the specificity of definite climatic and natural
geographical conditions, the national life is
going on. A.F.Dashdamirov writes:
Undoubtedly, the specificity of surroundings
is one of the reasons of ethnic similarity of one
group of peoples and differences of another.
Features of life, culture, psychology are
nationally specific because of surroundings
ecology. [13, p.69] A.N.Frolova marks:The
Eskimos, the Koryaks lived in one settlement
with the Chukchis. All of them lived in
harmony, keeping their national traditions;
people respected the culture of the foreigners.
That is why the tradition of quick response for
the change of climate, natural and social
conditions was formed. [38, p.58]
So, existence for a long time in the
same natural climate conditions can be
considered as the argument in favor of
unification of aboriginal people of Kamchatka
according to their psychological
characteristics. Moreover R.S.Vasilevsky
noticed that genetically all these
anthropological types (the Eskimos, the
Chukchis, the Koryaks, the Itelmens, the
Aleutians) are unified into one arctic group. [9,
p.26]
All these peoples belong to scanty
nationalities dealing with traditional forms of
economy, typical for all Normadic peoples:
hunting, fishing, deer-breeding. Y.M.Plyusnin
marks: Models of life support of traditional
communities-traditional ways of economy -
are characterized by low level of development,
when the main fundamental economic unit is
a big family or a local group with the
prevailing appropriating type of economy; at
the same time this type of economy always has
a special character, unitary. It is determined
by ecological dependence of such traditional
ways of economy. [31, p.50]
The following extracts from the works
of the scientists give the evidence about
common ethno cultural development of these
ethnic groups: Ethnographical information
about the Chukchis and the Koryaks was
collected by the travelers of 18
th
and the first
part of the 19
th
centuries; Contact of two
cultures the Chukchi and the Eskimo was
progressive, that allows to consider peoples
arts and crafts, song and dance art, the
peculiarities of the system of physical
education as common cultural phenomenon.
[38, p.13] However, every nation has its own
ethnic specific character.
V.P.Margaritov writes about the
Koryaks: Their similarity with the Chukchis
is rather significant, and makes a reason for
separation of them in one common nation.
[26, p.105] The Chukchis and the Koryaks
rein-deer breeders are very close in the
original social economic way of life and
culture, their languages are related too. Many
features draw them together with coastal
Chukchis and Eskimos. All of them are sea-
hunters; gear, type of lodgings, clothes,
utensils, beliefs and spiritual life are the same.
It should be mentioned that the Itelmens
culture has a lot of common with the ethnic
history of the Chukchis. Common features in
economy, types of settlements, lodgings,
clothes, food, and other peculiarities of
material culture unite the Chukchis with the
other people of the North, reflect ancient
cultural and sometimes historical and genetic
connections with their close and distant
neighbors (the Yakuts, the Evens, the
Yukagirs, the Koryaks of Kamchatka). [38,
p.28]
The titles of the works themselves,
devoted to the studying of Kamchatkas
nations, say about the unity and interosculation
of ethnic cultures of these nations: Koryaks
and close to them Chukchis (K.Ditmar);
Eskimos elements in the culture of Chukchis
and Koryaks(I.S.Vdovin); Origin of Chukchi
and Koryak culture of deer-
breeding(A.G.Volfson); Some features of
modern ethnic development of Chukchi and
Koryaks (changes in ethnic and social
professional structure) (I.S.Gurvich).
In the whole the process of
assimilation, interosculation of the ethnic
cultures, conjecture a dual treatment. On the
one hand, wide diffusion of cultures,
innovations support to enrichment both of the
personality, widening its social-cultural field,
and the culture, where it develops. So, in
S.A.Arutyunovs opinion, the interaction of
the cultures is one of the most important
conditions for successful development of any
culture and its preservation. [3, p.154]
Analyzing the process of assimilation
of aborigines with the newly-arrived
inhabitants, N.K.Starkova makes the
following: Arrival of Russians to Kamchatka
and its joining to Russia were the turning
points in the history of the peninsulas
population. Russians brought with themselves
higher material and mental culture and
junction to it influenced positively on
economy of aborigines. [35, p.3]
On the other hand, the scientists
emphasise the danger, appearing in case of
intensive correlation of different ethnic
cultures for people of minor ethnic
community. As a result the crisis of traditional
culture starts, ethnic tension appears, ethnic
marginality is formed; all these, no doubt, the
influence on the process and results of the
personalitys development. The ethnologist
V.I.Iokhelson marks: After the full conquest
of the Kamchadals, came the period of
numerous militants, abused their power.
Kamchatka entered the period characterized by
the interest to indigenes. This period began in
the end of the 18
th
century, can be called the
period of enlightened despotism. Instead of
development of traditional trades of the
indigenes, the administration decided to
introduce the trades typical for Russian
civilization. The Kamchadals were made
violently to build Russian houses, sow rye,
grow vegetables and breed the cattle. These
measures killed in the Kamchadals any
initiative and energy; their individuality was
absolutely destroyed. [17, p.222]
V.G.Bogoraz also noticed the
influence of forced russianization and
reserved character and timidity, uncertainty of
the population. So, he wrote about inhabitants
of Kakhtana: Hotling remained at the
Koryaks from Koryak as well as from Russian.
They even called themselves as their
Kamchatkas chiefs did the Kamchadals,
they called the Koryaks only reindeer
breeders. He also marked: The absence of
fairy tales is striking, I promised vodka, but
nobody knew anything. They even didnt want
to confess that they had fairy tales because of
their fear. [6, p.138]
V.P.Margaritova writes:There was
the time, when it was possible to distinguish
the Kamchadal from the Russian, now it is
impossible to do it because everything was
unified in the Kamchatkas inhabitant, he
cannot be distinguished by cheek-bones,
forehead and eyes. [26, p.116] The
Kamchadals got the influence of the Russians
and passed the habits and traditions to them,
unified with them so quickly that it was
impossible to distinguish them. [26, p.110]
However, some elements of material
and mental culture remained traditional. So,
V.I.Jochelson writes: The type of deer-raising
economy has not been changed, and the
contact with Russian civilization didnt
influence on it. This primitive material way of
life determines the correspondent condition of
culture. [17, p.18]
There is a fear of internationalized
process that leads to the full exception of
ethnic specific, changing unique ethnic
cultures to universal, ethnic nameless. [16]
One cannot but agree with
P.N.Fedoseevs opinion, who notices: There
are less people who wear national clothes, eat
national food and live in their traditional
houses, and there is almost nobody who used
only national gear and means of travel. Ethnic
tradition is replaced by the goods of
manufacturing. It is stipulated by the general
tendency of development of humanity in the
20
th
century. Material culture of Russians
themselves has changed greatly for last
decades.[37, p.59]
We realize that these phenomena have
deciding meaning in the analysis of ethno-
psychological peculiarities of personalitys
development, its socialization.
So, the facts, which unify the
aborigines of Kamchatka, are the following:
1. Geographical (fitness to the severe
scenery and natural climatic conditions of
life).
2. Population-demographic (low
amount of population, compact habitation,
dispersion on one territory) and
anthropological (belonging to one arctic
group).
3. Economic (close, ecologically
dependent, traditional economics
(Y.M.Plyusnin) as the models of life support,
original social-economic way of life with
traditional types of management: deer-raising,
hunting, fishing, sea hunting).
4. Cultural historical (common
polycultural area, similarity of historical and
cultural development: customs, traditions, arts
and crafts, song and dance arts, subjects of
material and mental culture, closeness of
language groups, likeness of languages).
5. Political (assimilative processes,
peaceful character of relation with other
peoples, absence of ethnic conflicts, wars
during long period of time).
6. Social-psychological (adaptation of
some socialization models).
It is known that ethnographical and
ethno-psychological way of life researches
distinguish ethnic specific character of
psychological behavior (M.Savva,
A.A.Aygumova, T.A.Ratanova,
A.Shogenov). Further well examine the
specific peculiarities of Kamchatkas
aborigines psychic.
Studying the problems which are far
from psychology, the above-mentioned
authors touched in their researches the
psychological peculiarities of Kamchatkas
inhabitants, calling them disposition,
mental organization, bent, virtue, and
vice. This information is a valuable factual
material, because it was collected by the
authors in routes, expeditions and present
objective observation and thoughts, based on
them.
It is necessary to emphasize that the
researches for the last few years show the
scientists interests to psychological aspects of
studying Kamchatkas people and their way of
life. So, the works of E.P.Batianova,
A.P.Volodina, R.Efremova, A.I.Kuznetsova,
L.I.Missonova, O.Murashko, V.H.Neradovsky,
Y.V.Chesnokov appeared. We did not find a
single work devoted to the studying of
psychological peculiarities of social formation
and development of personality of
Kamchatkas aborigines, to analysis of the
ethnic socialization stages in different age
periods, to the definition of psychological
specific in ethnic communities, living in poly-
ethnic space of the given region. Such work
has practical importance; it is claimed among
specialists in education, psychologists, social
workers.
This article is an attempt to distinguish
some peculiarities of exploration of ethno-
socio-cultural space which determine the
specificity of Kamchatkas people psychology.
In the specific natural climatic
conditions of the North the proper physical
type of a man was formed. The researches of
the North (V.Jochelson, V.Bogoraz) marked
out the specific traditions of hunters, deer-
raisers and sea-hunters. They drew their
attention to the Chukchis and the Eskimos
conditions of habitation, meteorological,
geographical, and flora and fauna peculiarities
of their life. In such conditions, in
V.Bogorazs opinion, life-asserting type of a
man was formed, in labor process, as well as
in correspondence to some moral standards; in
demonstration of sole in applied arts, rituals,
folklore, and design of material culture
simplicity, elegancy and suitability of the
houses forms, clothes, and means of travel,
home utensils, and system of upbringing.
Realizing themselves as the part of the nature,
peoples of the North recognized self-value of
the mans life, its equivalence to animal and
vegetation world, they brought up children
with understanding of indulgent attitude to
life, with the lack of the sense of property to
sites of scenery. [6]
Descriptions made by G.V.Steller in
the chapter Character, tastes, virtues and
vices of the Itelmeny are of special interest in
his work Description of Land Kamchatka.
[36] These people, - the author writes, are
inclined either to good or evil, and they are
like monkeys in this regard, they imitate
everything, and they see good things, where
they see the example of a Cossack. Steller
marks, the more the Itelmeny communicate
with Cossacks, the more they become
cunning, lying, guileful and sham; the farther
they are from Cossacks the more honesty and
good qualities can be found in them. [36,
p.167]
G.V.Steller calls the wish of the
Itelmen to live happily and to be satisfied
with their poverty rather peculiar. He always
mentions the following traits of character:
they absolutely dont know ambitions, they
are not scanty and greedy, and they dont want
to get more. They are not practical, they are
careless and lazy, they dont want to shatter
their idle peace and quietness, they know
nothing about sense of shame, that is why
they are not grateful, the Itelmen avoid any
hopes and they appreciate only the present,
if the Itelman stands up against something, he
will hold his ground all the life. [36, p.240]
G.V.Steller writes about mental
organization of the Itelmeny. In his opinion,
they have good intellectual faculties and vivid
imagination, good memory, but they have no
critical sense. Their natural talent is revealed
in their fantastic and jolly fables, inventions,
especially in music and singing, they are
so sensitive that by means of orders,
supervision, teaching and personal example
everything can be done from these people.
Steller marks sex differences:women,
however, surpass men greatly, who are more
stupid, and slower. [36, p.240]
K.Ditmar in the work Trips and stay
in Kamchatka in 1851-1855 of Karl von
Ditmar (historical report) noticed: The
Kamchadals are very much obedient, we can
even say, they are absolutely humble. They
carry out any order, even absurd.[14, p.179]
In the book of E.P.Orlova The
Itelmeny in the part Anthropological and
psychological peculiarities of the Kamchadals
and Itelmeny the author concentrates on
description of physical type of the Itelmeny.
[30]
In spite of the chapters title, in
description of psychological peculiarities the
author notices: The character of the
Kamchadals the Itelmeny (by 1926) has
changed very much: they became phlegmatic,
passive, reserved and even careless; they think
a little about coming day. There were no fights
at all among them; even the drunk Itelmen
dont raise voice and dont speak quickly.
There were no militancy and vindictiveness.
The mental life has changed less and kept a lot
of original national features. [30, p.30]
B.A.Kuftin wrote about aborigines:
They peculiar by their characters full of
energy, ability for trade, patience. But other
arctic hunting people the Chukchis are
scanty, thrifty and they knack of putting by
food. [23, p.65]
It is not difficult to notice that the
researches give only descriptive information
about physical (anthropological) types of these
people, and their behavior.
The opinions of the travelers about
psychology and moral qualities of the Koryaks
are extremely contradictory.
S.P.Krasheninnikov says about the
Koryaks: Everybody is rude, angry,
unwilling, vindictive and unmerciful people,
and he also writes: the Koryaks have their
own virtue that differs from the Kamchadals,
they are truthful and hard-working, they know
shame. He also says settled Koryaks are
stronger and braver than those who raise deer.
[22, p.202] V.P.Margaritov agrees with
S.P.Krasheninnikov and writes: The
researcher was not right, calling the
Kamchadals rude. Probably he wanted to
point out the absence of any civilization
among the Kamchadals, not their rudeness. It
is difficult to believe that meek modern (1899)
Kamchadals could have rude and cruel
ancestors. [26, p.111]
K.Ditmar also considers, that the
Koryaks are good-natured, honest, punctilious,
truthful and dont know the deceit. But if
somebody touches their sense of honour or
hurt them, their anger will be very long and
they try to avenge. K.Ditmar writes that the
inhabitants of Paren and Kamenskoe are very
calm and militant or they have predatory
temper, because of it they have a lot of
enemies and nomadic Koryaks visit them only
in case of absolute necessity. On the other
hand, K.Ditmar says that the Koryaks who
raise deer are honest, frank, and he did not
want the demoralized influence to touch their
pure patriarchal life. [14] V.I.Jochelson writes
about honesty: The orders, for samples or
things for collections which I made for the
Koryaks, were implemented honestly and
quickly. He also marked their
justice:blackmails of Cossacks and
officials demanding not yasack, but furs and
services for themselves were nasty for the
Koryaks and for their love to freedom.
Rebellious spirit of the Koryaks was not
destroyed with the suppression of revolts. [17,
p.31]
G.Mendel considered that the Koryaks
were guileful, bringing a lot of harm to
Russians by their faulse submission and
treacherous revolts. [27]
V.Voyt describes aborigines as sly,
prudent, and economical from distrustfulness
but in morals respect as shy, boastful being
characterized by servility to strict and
disrespect for affectionate people. [11]
N.V.Slyunin says that coastal Korayks
are more developed, sensitivemore moral
and sociable, then the deer-breeders, but
they are not hospitable, whereas hospitality
and help to needy is the distinctive feature of
the nomadic Koryak. [33, p.392]
V.P.Margaritov writes about it:the
Koryak is extremely hospitable, kind and
preventive. Shelter is offered to the guest, the
best deer is slaughtered and any tired traveler
always finds what he needs. [26, p.106]
G.Kennan praises the Koryaks who
raise deer for honesty and hospitality, and the
picture of the coastal Koryaks morals is not
attractive. They, - G.Cennan says, - are cruel,
rude by nature, impudent with everybody,
vindictive, dishonest and lying. Settled
Koryaks of the Penzhinsky strait, in
G.Cennans opinion, are more rude and low-
natured among the aborigines of all north-
eastern Siberia; people that gave a lot of
trouble than all inhabitants of Siberia and
Kamchatka. [18, p.233]
V.I.Jochelson thinks that the main traits
of the character among coastal Koryaks and
Koryaky deerbreeders are the same. They are
proud, independent, boastful, sensible to insult
and try to avenge by all possible facilities.
They are hospitable, and sociable with people
whom they trust, they dont keep hostility
from people who are unfriendly to them. They
arent afraid of death and nothing can frighten
them. Suicides very often happened among
them, and still happens as well as among the
Chukchis; the reason of it could be death of
relative, anger, quarrel, etc.
Because of these traits of character
very often quarrels were finished by
bloodshed. [17] Now, V.I.Jochelson writes, the
Koryaks morals became milder, but you must
remember about their stubbornness, severity
and fearlessness when communicating with
them. They are brave, self-confident, and
independent. Every Koryak is the law for
himself and the Master of his ego. [26,
p.105]
The reason of discord in the
characteristics of coastal and reindeer Koryaks
V.I.Jochelson explains in the following was
the deer people as nomadic could always go
from unexpected visitors, and Russians didnt
know where to find their nomad camp; coastal
Koryaks couldnt avoid unexpected visitors
and had to repulse.
Coastal Korayks are also hospitable,
but they have nothing to offer to the White.
White Man doesnt eat seal meat and fat, even
not all local Cossacks themselves eat the
Koryaks food, it is insulting for the Koryak
when the guest neglects the food. Besides,
there is not enough food for the coastal
Korayks. Deer breeder can always offer deer
meat for the White. [17]
V.I.Jochelson wrote about psychic
virtues of the Korayks: The Korayks are
slow, they speak idly, excep the cases when
they are angry. We may say that their intellect
works slowly, as his body, and they get tired
very quickly. But the author says that the
Korayaks are curious. They listen to the stories
about other people from different countries
with a great interest. Everything new attracts
their attention, but they are attentive not for a
long time. [17, p.31]
The researcher notices: The Korayks
left a very good impression at me. It is difficult
to deal with them, while you dont know their
traditions. They are rough, rude; they are
involved into argue very easily, if they dont
like something, they dont flatter, they are
truthful and frank, and kind when they have a
good mood. In contacts between each other
they were tactful and careful, they used plural
forms and when they wanted to say something
unpleasant they said it in a form of a hint and
used the 3
rd
person singular. And they are
ready to help to starving men, whoever they
can be coastal Korayks or Russians, delivering
deer to them. [17, p.35]
The topic of the socialization process
of children is very important. Lets turn to the
researches who watch this process.
The first we must pay our attention in
the process of socialization is the relation of
parents to a birth of a child, to the issue of
nursing for a baby, to the upbringing in the
period of early childhood, as I.S.Con noticed,
parents relation to the children is connected
with the culture and the past of the parents;
and nothing can be changed. [21, p.238]
In the ethnographic descriptions of
Normadic Peoples the birth of a child is a
happy event, the guests are invited to celebrate
this event. This is called the holiday of a
woman. [17]
The attitude to a child is hearty and
loving. The Chukchy call their children
kayu- small calf. V.G.Bogoraz wrote the
childhood of the Chukchys was happy. The
children are not frightened and restrained.
They are given the best pieces of food, they
are loved and guarded. [6]
V.I.Jochelson writes that the Koryaks
love their children. They take care of them
very well and pet them. [17] The children are
bitten very seldom and they are gentle and
obedient. The authority of the elders is
surprising. The Koryaks children liked their
parents and it was very seldom when they
disobeyed their father when it is happens, -
Y.I.Lindenau writes,- everybody scorns them;
but if the parents punish them they only slap
them. [24]
V.V.Antropova noticed that the
Koryaks children were loved and the birth of
a child was a great event in the family. Those
families who did not have any children took
charge of somebody elses children and they
became heirs. Issuelessness was a big
unhappiness. It was the motive for divorce and
one of the reasons of polygamy. If the wife
was childless the Koryak was married for the
second time at her request. [2]
Here is the description of attitude to
children among other Normadic Peoples: The
parents take care of their children. They
created successful emotional surrounding for a
child. There was the practice in every family
about the care of a baby, ways of contacts with
him, traditions of artistic appearance of his cot,
clothes, shoes, the system of encouragement
and punishment. They tried not to forbid to the
children, satisfied of any their wish, had the
wardship for not to get into troubles. The love
to children manifests itself especially vivid in
attitude to orphans. [38; 30]The children were
brought up by all parents, because they
thought that there were no somebody elses
children, but who didnt think so about him
they say he doesnt like the child and spoil
him. Love and tenderness of the parents
helped to form the sense of confidence to the
parents, developed obedience, wish to follow
their advice.
This rule was spread in many
traditional cultures: the child belongs not only
to mother and his father but to the community
where he lives and the community takes part in
his upbringing. The ethnographers mark
mobility of the Oceanias children in the 20
th

century: in the 50-60s about 61% of children
lived not in the parents family, they moved
from one family to another twice, three times
and even four times. [8] The tradition of
compulsory upbringing of the children outside
the parents family was spread in early class
society. [4] Not only the parents, but other
tribal men learn the child to follow the
standards of behaviour, working methods,
rights and duties to other people. This
upbringing as M.Mid marks, lead to the
situation when the child gets used to think
about the world as about something that is full
of parents, and not about the place where his
safety and happiness depend on keeping his
relations with his own parents. [28, p.264]
Probably it is the heart of the ethnic
socialization specific of aboriginal northern
people on the early stages of their
development.
Tribal settlement of aboriginal people -
this is the type of widened family - determined
(as L.V.Sokolova and O.A.Shaburova
consider) different directions of social contacts
of a child, forms of contacts, that helped to
form ethno-specific features of the childs
personality. The child communicated not only
with the adults but and with the children of
different ages. Such communication kept its
originality with methods of upbringing,
supplying the process of systematic social
education and sexual behaviour. Widened
families were more stable to unexpected
difficulties and could promote survival of the
ethnos. [34, p.40] As A.N.Frolova thinks,
pedagogical system of Chukotki and Eskimos
people has no modern analogues. [38] This
system of upbringing still influences upon the
development of a child and it is the factor
causes the specific ethnic socialization of
aboriginal representatives, especially in the
conditions of distant ethnic territories, national
settlements, summer nomad camps etc.
So, lets analyze the process of ethnic
socialization of a man in the North.
The child from his birth shared the
difficulties with his parents, caused by
nomadic way of life and inclement climate.
Physical conditioning was very important
which was developed with children of north
from early childhood. So the mother took the
newborn in winters hard frost into the cold
part of yaranga and in summer in the open air.
Steadiness to the cold was developed in
the conditions of nomadic way of life. During
moving the cradle with a baby was fixed to
deers saddle and to the other side they hung
pack bag.
It couldnt be allowed to scold the child
or to raise the hand on him in familys
upbringing. Parents often asked advices from
their small children. Every person has his own
duties and must do it due to the fact kind
relationships were established and conflicts
put out.
The clothes were sewed for them in 4-5
years as for adults: upper garment, fur-cap;
together with clothes they got their first toys-
real small models of the womens and mens
instruments of work. They handed over the
boys bow and arrow, knife, sling. To the girls-
bag, thimble, needles, sinew sewing, whisks,
scrapers, womans knife for currying. The girl
could boil the kettle in 4, could give drink to
the guest, ..Growing up the girls of 10-
12 brought up younger; they helped their
sisters, grandmother to sew the clothes, curry
fells of polar fox and hare; they studied the
ways of working the fur of fur-bearing
animals and sea-animals, cut out deer skin for
sewing the clothes. In tundra and taiga, women
gathered fire-wood, eatable roots of sedge,
herbal, damsons, and berries, near the costs of
rivers and lakes- ducks and geeses eggs. The
child reproduced, copied the actions,
interrelations of parents.
Children adjusted to special food
allowance (deer meat, meat and fat of sea
animal), whale oil, fish, roots and herbals,
berries, mushrooms) to special hardening of
organisms.
National traditions demand from the
children severe preparation for the life. That is
why all spare time they spent in different
physical competitions. The Chukchis love
different competitions, expecting physical
strength and adroitness, - wrote V.G.Bogoraz.-
There were deer races in three or four days,
with a wide variety of prizes from mangy
wolfskin to expensive beaver. These races
varied by running, wrestling, hurdle,
gallop[6]
So, the base of survival in the north
conditions were hardening of a childs
organism. Nomadic and half nomadic way of
life, long staying in the open air from the first
day of birth promoted hardening and
adaptation to the conditions of north, mobility
of the children in the games and work
developed them physically.
It was noticed by the researches, that
there were two extremes in the upbringing of
the children: a big love to them and the desire
to put them to the complicated tests. [38,
p.40]
The trade of animals in severe
conditions of north demanded endurances,
strength, adroitness, courage. That is why the
Korayks trained their sons from the early
childhood. About these trainings the Koryaks
told to N.N.Beretti: sensitiveness developed
with the help of fire. Sneaking up the child,
someone burnt him by the sharp glowing
object. Training him in this way during his
childhood the parents reached that the child
jumped aside from the slightest rustle or
touch. [5]
Adroitness was trained by wrestling,
running etc. Having finished the training, the
father tested his son: he sent him somewhere,
and then father slinked for him with a bow and
threw it into him. If the youth learnt what the
father inculcated from the childhood to him
and if he was keen and adroit, he jumped aside
and the arrow flied over, if not he was stroke
by the arrow of his father. The children were
accustomed to abstinence from excess food,
creating lightness of the body and accuracy
breathe; for the development of muscular
system they made the children to make large
transitions, arranging childrens contents in
running, wrestling. [22]
The force was developed by the
running with weight on the shoulders, which
they enlarged day by day. The parents wanted
the children to be adapted to the extreme
conditions of the north. Gradually the children
learnt that the peculiarities of their lodgings,
clothes, instruments for the work, types of
traditional occupations.
So, contests and specific physical
exercises of north people are characterized by
its universal influence on the development of a
child. The main function of it is the
preparation of young people to the work in
inclement environment. The whole
socialization process of early stages was built
on it.
The upbringing of children depending
on their sex belonging began very early. The
development realized by including them in
traditional types of activities: in deer-raising,
hunting, fishing- the boys; processing of fell,
sewing the clothes and shoes, cooking food-
the girls. A lot of researches write about it. So,
V.V.Antropova marks: The children of the
Koryaks were trained to work very early. The
girls from 8-10 years began to help their
mothers in housekeeping. In deers families
the boys were studied the art of throwing
lassos and operate deer relay, and from 10-12
years they worked in a herd by herdsmen.
Children of nomadic Koryaks helped their
parents during fishing period. The favorite
occupation of 7-8 years old boys was training
of puppies who they trained to ride in relay.
[2, p.107]
According V.I.Jochelsons observation,
children began to work since 10-12 years; the
boys took part in all works of father. They
helped him to fish, to bring firewood, and deer
Koryaks helped to take care of herd. Boys
passed severe school, to accustom themselves
to bear cold and tiredness and hardship. Girls
from the same age helped in housekeeping,
currying the skins and sewing the clothes. [17]
I.S.Vdovin analyses the life of the
Chukchis writes: Children began to work
early. Boys from early ages studied to use the
knife, lasso, firearms, to put traps, to loop the
loops for hares, partridges, to fish etc. They
were taught to take care of herd in the early
years. In 10-12 years they became day- then
night-herdsmen. They passed severe school of
deer-raiser life. They were taught to bear cold,
to sleep in the open air, to be twenty-four
hours in the herd in snowstorm and in rain.
Girls were also taught to housekeeping,
connected with nomadic way of life, very
early. Their childhood ended in 8-10 years old.
Then they became helpers of their mothers in
housekeeping: they nursed the babies, curried
the fells, twisted needles from tendons, sewed,
embroidered etc. No seldom girls were taught
to care for deer if they had no other helpers.
[10, p.223]
The life of everyday work made the
children of north adults. It was noticed by
the scientists the main peculiarity of a child
development:if in modern psychology-
pedagogic literature in age periodization there
was younger school age for pre-school age, in
north the children of 7-8 years passed on
youth period, which was finished in 14-15 and
it was the age of puberty and youth as age
period was lost. [38, p.32]
The Chukchis considered that when a
boy of 12 killed a wild deer that meant that he
became a master of his work and could be
permitted to the world of grown-ups. In ethno-
graphic researches this event was called as
Consecrating to a hunter. Every Chukchis
family prepared a boy from early age to
become a hunter. He had to do all admonitions
thoroughly of grown-ups: to run for long
distances, high jump, long jump, weight-
lifting, to wield of all types of hunters arms.
The consecrating to a hunter was accompanied
by the series of rituals. Knack of getting seal
said about passage to youth age. The Eskimos
considered that the boys could get married
only when he became a lucky hunter. It is
specific ceremony of initiation the way of
advancement a new generation to social
maturity, that change, in V.S.Muhinas
opinion, psychological status of a personality:
Through initiations a child realizes claims for
recognition, finds social puberty, confidence, a
sense of responsibility for others and
themselves. Going through initiations he
acquires habits, providing luck and recognition
that confirms his new place in tribal system.
[29, p.44]
A.Dyachkov wrote that the elder
(father, grandfather) watched for interrelations
between grown-ups and children. There were
no threat, cry. Physical punishments,
admonitions, he didnt emphasize his main
position in the family). There were no such
qualities in children as obligingness or
obsequiousness. The Chukchis encouraged
taciturnity and reserve. A.Dyachkov noticed
that it was an old tradition when the members
of one family mustnt talk with each other
without any need, excluding husband and wife
and also women. [15]
The teaching was without words on
obvious cases. A child asked a little, he just
watched his father put the deer sigh, repulsed
it from a herd, did laying-in fells. The
repetition of actions in similar conditions
through definite interval of time promoted
making firm habits and organized the behavior
of children. The aim of this upbringing was to
teach a child not only to do something, but to
be laconic and reserved in work, cautious in
speech;-only this way they could avoid
troubles. That is why such qualities as
garrulity, boastfulness evaluated negatively.
The aborigines always tried to pass to
their children ethnic norms of behavior, ethnic
peculiarities of perception and understanding
of the world, principals of using nature
resources. The stereotype of ecologic thinking,
unwritten rules of behavior in tundra, taiga,
sea, norms of interrelations men with nature in
different communities were passed to younger
generation.
Grown-ups taught the children to live
in nature, without bringing harm, they formed
ecological traditions of trade: seasonal
prevalence of hunting. That is why for many
centuries the culture of aborigines formed the
system of ecological rules. The care of
environment, animals, nature formed the
behavior of norths people.
Of course, the conditions in which a
person was formed, defined the peculiarities of
a mans psychic. Isolation, severe climate,
need formed the following qualities of
aborigines: thrift, persistence, industry,
sharpness and resource. The way of north
peoples life put the base of their psychic cast
and fixed qualities of a personality: physical
staying power, freedom in actions,
independence, laconic and understanding of
their originality. Everything that was said
earlier proved the existence of special ethnic
matter of the first stages of socialization; it
was caused by the specific of living in
traditional conditions of north, forms of
management and norms of behavior that
influenced on the development of a personality
of aborigines and on the forming of their
ethnic psychological originality.
The analysis of ethnographic and
historic cultural sources showed that the
process of ethnic socialization of Kamchatkas
aborigines proceeded harmoniously, the stages
changed each other in consecutive order,
traditional institutions of socialization
functioned effectively, providing stability,
steadiness of identification on every stage.
Nowadays there were considerable changes in
the system of traditional institutions of
assimilative processes (loss of native
languages, loss of the elements of national life,
beliefs, customs, traditions) that influenced on
the whole process of ethnic socialization of
aborigines.
The special program was worked out
for the learning of ethnic socialization of
ethnic communities on the modern stage that
supposed several stages of work. Aborigines
of Kamchatka of two age groups composed the
empiric base of research, living in different
regions of Kamchatka: Petropavlovsk-
Kamchatski, Elizovo, Milkovo, Palana KAR,
Anavgay, Esso. The choice of respondents for
research supposed the registration of their
living, specific of socio cultural surrounding,
peculiarities of passing early stages of
socialization.
Social-psychological peculiarities of
forming ethnic identity of Kamchatkas
aborigines were studied in experimental-field
research in the period from June 2000 to
August 2002.
In this article well show some results
of ethno-psychological originality research of
these ethnos representatives.
The studying of realizing personal
qualities was held with the help of content-
analyze of descriptions, typical representative
of nationality and self descriptions of
teenagers and grown-ups: it was studied 98
self descriptions, for 49 in every age group.
During treatment of the research results the
methods of statistic treatment of given values
was used. Nonparametric criteria of angular
transformation of Fisher were used for statistic
truth of differences. The levels of significance
were P=0, 05; 0, 01; 0,001.
Representations about ethnic qualities
were investigated with the help of following
questions:
1) Can you call the traits of
character of your people? Describe please
those qualities that characterize typical
representative of your nationality.
2) Say, what differs you
(personally) as the representative of your
nationality from other people?
From all received data the most
frequent answers were selected and arranged.
The representative qualities are summarized in
the following table 1.

Table 1
Frequency of self description categories of Kamchatkas aborigines

Teenagers Adults Category

number % rank number % rank
Authenticity
of differences
Appearance 17 24.6 1 2 1.2 7 (-)4.3***
Interests 6 8.7 6 1 0.6 8 (-)2.8**
Qualities of a
personality

Intellectual 3 4.3 7 9 5.5 6 1.3
Resolute

8 11.6 5 21 12.9 5 1.2
Reflexive 9 13.2 4 37 22.8 1 1.9*
Communicative 11 15.9 3 35 21.5 3 2.1*
Emotional 12 17.4 2 22 13.4 4 (-)2.4*
Moral 3 4.3 7 36 22.1 2 4.4***
Sum total 69 100 163 100 8.4***

Note: * p=0, 05, **p=0, 01, ***p=0,001.

In the results we can see trust differences in self descriptions of teenagers and grown-ups.
We may maintain that grown-ups reflected more deep personal characteristics to themselves and
representatives of their people. In self descriptions of teenagers external peculiarities and
emotional qualities of a personality were established. Reflexive qualities in our research as
typical for representatives of ethnic groups are main in selection of grown-ups.
The truth of differences is =1, 9(p<0, 05). In the group of teenagers moral qualities are
4,3%, rank is 7, in group of grown-ups is 22,1% and rank is 2. The truth of differences is =4, 4
(p<0, 01). Comparing frequency of opinion about communicative qualities is (p<0, 05), rank in
both groups is 3. There was negative dynamics of changes according such categories as
appearance, interests, emotional qualities in group of adults. Mature personality is
interested in inner world more than teenagers. Communicative and reflexive qualities began
more important than emotional. The ranks of intellectual qualities and determined qualities
categories werent changed very much. The analysis of given qualities allows to find the
tendencies according themselves and representatives of their people.
Kamchatkas aborigine is an honest man, friendly, trustful, frank, sincere, always ready to
help, patient, industrious, persistent, he knows and understands environment, observant. He is
always calm, steady, modest, and laconic. Characteristic features of north people are hospitality,
liberality, love to children, sensitiveness to jokes, humor. We found the same characteristic in
ethno graphical and historic cultural researches of aborigines, made several centuries ago. [22;
24; 30; 36]
So, national psychological portrait of aborigines is not changed. We hope that
representation of ethnic originality, unique, and value will strengthen in the consciousness of
Kamchatkas aborigines.

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