Girl’s dance boots

Description:	The Koryak peoples have a long history as reindeer herders, hunters and fishermen in the northern portion of the Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Russia. Since 1930, most Koryak have lived in the Koryak Autonomous Area in the northern portion of the Peninsula. Although many Koryak were forced to assimilate into Russian communities, some villages resisted. The village of Paren, from which these boots came, attracted international attention in 1985 when the villagers refused to abandon their homes. As a result, a Koryak Native association was created and in 1990 the Koryak Autonomous Area seceded from Kamchatka Province to become an independent member of the Russian Federation. Today, many Koryak continue to breed reindeer and fish for a living, maintaining their traditions and culture. Dancing is an important part of Koryak social and religious life, and special costumes are created for this purpose. These boots, collected in the village of Paren in 1992, were worn by a Koryak girl during ceremonial dances.
Source:	http://www.digitalindy.org/cdm/ref/collection/tcm/id/285
Collection:	The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
Rights:	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/;
Copyright:	Creative Commons (CC By-SA 3.0);
Geography:	Russia (Federation)
Subjects:	Shoes, Boots Footwear Indigenous peoples -- Russia (Federation) Russia (Federation) Koryak Koryak -- Social life and customs Koryak -- Rites and ceremonies Clothing and dress

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