Alyutors

The Alyutors (Russian: Алюторцы; self designation: Алутальу, or Alutal'u) are an ethnic group (formerly classified as a subgroup of Koryaks) who lived on the Kamchatka and Chukotka peninsulas of the Russian Far East. Today most of them live in the Koryak Autonomous Okrug. The name also occurs as Olyutorka, a settlement where many of the Alyutors used to live. There is no precise data on the number of Alyutors, but it is estimated that there are approximately 2,000 to 3,000 of them living in Russia nowadays.

Language

Alyutors spoke the Alyutor language (also known as Nymylan language), which belongs to the Chukotko-Kamchatkan language family; however less than 10% of the Alyutors still speak it. Today, many Russian experts believe it to be a separate language, though it was previously considered a dialect of the Koryak language.

History

The Alyutors are mentioned in the very first chronicles about the Russian colonisation of Kamchatka. In 1697, the Russian Cossacks imposed taxes on the Alyutors, who would show armed resistance in the next few years. After the suppression of the 1751 uprising, the number of the Alyutors significantly decreased. Also, they were constantly under attack from the Chukchis, who often confiscated their reindeer herds. In the late 18th century, the Alyutors were an isolated and secluded group of people, which helped them to avoid the smallpox epidemics almost unharmed. Also, such isolation helped them to preserve their traditional way of life.