Before the arrival of the Russians, the Kamchadals did not know how to smelt metals and replaced them with bone and stone. They used them to make axes, knives, spears, arrows, lancets and needles. The Kamchadals used wooden planks and sticks instead of firesticks, and crushed grass instead of rubbish.
The food of the Kamchadals was mainly animal food, which they obtained by fishing and hunting; they also used some roots and tubers (especially sarana); a decoction of fly agaric was a stupefying drink; dogs were their pets.
Fibres of a special kind of nettle were used for making fabrics. These fibres are used for the same purpose even now, as flax and hemp are not cultivated; the scanty husbandry is confined to barley and oats. Besides, the Kamchadals are engaged in horticulture, but sarana tubers are still in great use; when fried they resemble potatoes.
The traditional occupation was fishing (mainly salmon). The fishing tools were hooks and nets. Fish was stocked in the form of yukola or fermented in pits. Hunting for furbearers (mainly sable) and sea animals (seal, seal, whales) and gathering were of great importance. Means of locomotion were chiselled boats, dog sledges, sliding skis, while for hunting they more often used rocket skis. Fishing and hunting up to the beginning of the 20th century served as the main source of subsistence (and for the payment of yasak (tax); but, except for dogs, now there are also reindeer and in small numbers cattle and horses of Yakut breed.
The Kamchadals very quickly became russified, but the Russians who settled among them almost kamchadalised, adopted many of their words, forgot many methods of farming, sewing, iron forging, etc.
The most developed types of applied arts are embroidery, weaving from grass and leather straps, fur applique, bone and wood carving, birch bark stamping. Developed dance art.
