598 KAMTSi 
imagined. The Kamtfchatkans and Mungals alfo are both 
of a middling ftature, fwarthy, with black hair, broad face, 
fharp nole, eyes falling in, eyebrows fmall and thin, a 
hanging belly, and (lender legs and arms ; they are both 
remarkable for cowardice, boalting, and llavifhnefs to 
people who ufe them hard, and for their o.bftinacy and 
contempt of thole who treat them with gentlenefs. Al¬ 
though in outward appearance they referable the other in¬ 
habitants of Siberia, yet the Kamtfchatkans differ in this, 
that their faces are not lb long as the other Siberians ; 
their cheeks Hand more out, their teeth are thick, their 
mouth large, their ftature middling, and their Ihoulders 
broad, particularly thofe people who inhabit the fea-coaft. 
Both men and women plait their hair in two locks, bind¬ 
ing the ends with fmall ropes. When any hair ftarts out, 
they few it with threads to make it lie clofe ; by this 
means they have fuch a quantity of vermin, that they can 
1'crape them off in handfuls, and they are nafty enough 
even to eat them. Thofe that have not natural hair fuf- 
ftcient, wear falfe locks, fometimes as much as weigh ten 
pounds, which makes their head look like a haycock. 
But many of the women wear now their hair, and are 
dreffed, nearly in the lame manner as the Ruffians, whofe 
language is the molt prevalent. 
Thefe people are extremely ignorant and illiterate. It 
is very diverting to fee them attempt to reckon above ten ; 
for, having counted the fingers of both hands, they clafp 
them together, which lignifies ten ; then they begin with 
their toes, and count to twenty ; after which they are 
quite confounded, and cry, “Metcha?” that is, Where 
(hall I take more ? They reckon ten months in the year, 
iome of which are longer and fome (liorter; for they do 
not divide them by the changes of the moon, but by the 
order of particular occurrences that happen in thole re¬ 
gions. They commonly divide our year into two, fo that 
winter is one year, and fummer another; the fummer 
year begins in May, and the winter in November. They 
do not diftinguilh the days by any particular appellation, 
nor form them into weeks or months, nor yet know how 
snany days in the month or year. 
Under the name of ojlrog is underftood every habitation 
coufifting of one or more huts, all furrounded by an 
earthen wall or palifado. The huts are built in the fol¬ 
lowing manner : They dig a hole in the earth about five 
feet deep, the breadth and length proportioned to the 
number of people defigned to live in it. In the middle 
of this hole they plant four thick wooden pillars ; over 
thefe they lay balks, upon which they form the roof or 
ceiling, leaving in the middle a fquare opening which 
lerves them for a window and chimney ; this they cover 
with grafs and earth, fo that the outward appearance is 
like a round hillock; but within they are an oblong fquare, 
with the fire in one of the long fides of the fquare. Be¬ 
tween the pillars round the walls of their huts they make 
benches, upon which each family lies feparately ; but on 
that fide oppofite to the fire there are no benches, it being 
defigned for theirkitchen-furniture, in which they drefs 
their victuals for themfelves and dogs. In thole huts 
where there are no benches, there are balks laid upon the 
floor, and covered with mats. They adorn the walls of 
their huts with mats made of grafs. They enter their huts 
by ladders, commonly placed near the fire-hearth; fo 
that, when they are heating their huts, the fteps of the 
ladder become lb hot, and the lrnoke fo thick, that it is 
almolt impolfible for a ftranger to go up or down without 
being burnt, and even ftified ; but the natives find no 
difficulty in it; and, though they can only fix their toes 
on the lteps of the ladder, they mount like fquirrels; nor 
do the women hefitate to go through this fmoke with their 
children upon their Ihoulders, though there is another 
opening through which the women are allowed to pafs ; but, 
if any man pretend to do the fame, he would be laughed 
at. The Kamtfchatkans live in thefe huts all the winter, 
after which they go into others called balagans ; thefe ferve 
them not only to live in during the fummer, but alfo for 
j 
! H A T K A. 
magazines. They are made in the following manner s 
Nine pillars, about two fathoms long, or more, are fixed 
in the ground, and bound together with balks laid over 
them, which they cover with rods, and over all lay grafs, 
faffening fpars, and a round (harp roof at top, which they 
cover with brambles, and thatch with grafs. They fallen 
the lower ends of the (pars to the balks with ropes and 
thongs, and have a door on each fide, one dire&iy oppo¬ 
fite to the other. They make ufe of the fame kind of 
huts to keep their filh, &c. till wfinter comes on, when 
they can more eafily remove it; and this without any 
guard, only taking away the ladders. If thefe buildings 
were not fo high, the wild bealls would undoubtedly 
plunder them ; for, notwithftanding all their precaution, 
the bears fometimes climb up and force their way into 
their magazines, efpecialiy in the barveft, when the filh 
and berries begin to grow fcarce. The fouthern Kamtf¬ 
chatkans commonly build their villages in thick woods 
and other places which are naturally ftrong, not lefs than 
twenty verfts from the fea ; and their fummer habitations 
are near the mouths of the rivers ; but thofe who live 
upon the Penfchinlka Sea and the Eallern Ocean build 
their villages very near the Ihore. They look upon that 
river near which their village is fituated as the inheritance 
of their tribe. 
In order to kindle fire, they ufe a board of dry wood 
with round holes in the fides of it, and a fmall round 
Hick; this they rub in a hole till it takes fire; and inftead 
of tinder they ufe dry grafs beat foft. Thefe inftruments 
are held in fuch efteem by the Kamtfchatkans, that they 
are never without them, and they value them more than 
our Heels and flints; but they are exceflively fond of iron 
inftruments, fuch as hatchets, knives, or needles; nay, at 
the firft arrival of the Ruffians, a piece of broken iron 
was looked upon as a great prefent; and even now they 
receive it with thankfulnefs, finding ufe for the leaft frag¬ 
ment, either to point their arrows or make darts, which 
they do by hammering it out cold between two (tones. 
As fome of them delight in war, the Ruffian merchants 
are forbid to fell them any warlike inftruments; but they 
are ingenious enough to make fpears and arrows out of 
the iron pots and kettles which they buy; and they are fo 
dexterous, when the eye of a needle breaks, as to make 
a new eye, which they will repeat until nothing remains 
but the point. 
The Kamtfchatkans make their boats of poplar-wood ; 
but the Kuriles, not having any wood of their own; make 
ufe of what is thrown on Ihore by the fea, and is fup- 
pofed to come from the coafts of Japan, China, or Ame¬ 
rica. The northern inhabitants of Kamtfchatka, the fet¬ 
tled Koreki and Tfchukotlkoi, for want of proper timber 
and plank, make their boats of the (kins of fea-animals. 
They few the pieces together with whales’ beards, and 
caulk them with mofs or nettles beat fmall. Thefe boats 
hold two perfons; one of which fits in the prow, and the 
other in the Hern. They pulh them againlt the ftream with 
poles, which is attended with great trouble; when the 
current is ftrong, they can fcarcely advance two feet in 
ten minutes; notwithftanding which, they will carry thefe 
boats, fully loaded, fometimes twenty verfts, (13 miles,) 
and, when the ftream is not very ftrong, even thirty or 
forty verfts. The larger boats carry thirty or forty poods, 
(little better than half a ton ;) but fometimes they form 
a float or bridge refting upon two boats joined together. 
They ufe this method in tranfporting their provifions 
down the ftream, and alfo to and from the illands. 
Their clothes for the molt part are made of the Ikins of 
deer, dogs, feveral fea and land animals, and even of the 
(kins of birds, thofe of different animals being frequently 
joined in the fame garment. They make the upper gar¬ 
ment after two fafbions ; fometimes cutting the lkirts all 
of an equal length, and fometimes leaving them long be¬ 
hind iir form of a train, with wide lleeves of a length to 
come down below the knee, and a hood or caul behind, 
which in bad weather they put over their heads beiow 
their 
