The Koryaks are the ancient indigenous population of the region. They are one of the most numerous ethnic groups of Kamchatka. They have managed to preserve their culture and even their way of life to the present day. Modern trends are present in Koryak life, but many ancient customs and rituals are still observed.

The first mentions of the Koryaks are found in Russian documents of the 17th century. Back then they were already divided into two large groups: nomadic reindeer herders (“Chavchuven”) and seaside settled inhabitants (“Nymylan”), who were engaged in hunting sea animals and fishing. Koryaks had well-developed traditional crafts and trades: bone, horn and wood carving, fur and leather appliqué, embroidery on leather with sinew threads and reindeer hair, weaving of baskets, mats and bags of grass.

The diorama “The Fourth Reindeer Herding Unit of the Palansky State Farm” illustrates the life of the indigenous population of Kamchatka, the nomadic Koryaks, at the end of the 20th century. The diorama was created in 1992 by Victoria Viktorovna Krupina, a well-known artist and sculptor in Kamchatka. The art project includes 29 three-dimensional pictorial figures and a background landscape.

The nomadic Koryaks practiced herding reindeer in large numbers. The economy was closed and isolated. There were no noticeable improvements in it, and everything was carried out according to the traditions developed over centuries. Reindeer herders roamed the tundra, sometimes traveling very long distances: from the Sea of Okhotsk to the Kamchatka River, and thence to the Apuka River, which flows into the Bering Sea.

The Chavchuven people adapted their lives to caring for herds of reindeer. They spent the winter in valleys sheltered from the wind, where snow did not prevent the reindeer from grazing. Hunting and fishing were of secondary importance to Koryak reindeer herders. In the fall, they returned to their families, and with the first snow they went to winter pastures again.

The main fall festival of nomadic Koryaks was called “Koyanaytatyk”, or “Moving Reindeer”. It was traditionally organized after the herds returned from summer pastures. After the winter solstice reindeer herders celebrated the “return of the sun”. On this day they competed in reindeer sled races, wrestling, running with sticks, throwing a harness over a moving target, and climbing an icy pole.