.jpg)
Managing her Eagle
Training golden eagles to hunt is physically and mentally demanding. Young Nurguli needs all her strength and a great deal of focus to call her eagle to come to her from a perch at the top of the hill and to land on her gloved arm. The eagle gets fresh fox meat as a reward.
She’s not the first, and she’s not the only one, but she is still a rarity these days: a female Kazakh eagle hunter.
Hunting with golden eagles is a long-standing custom among the Turkic peoples (particularly the Kazakh and Kyrgyz) across the Eurasian steppe. During the 1930s, large numbers of Kazakhs fled from communist-controlled Kazakhstan through the Altai Mountains to Bayan-Ölgii Province in the western corner of Mongolia. They brought with them their Kazakh language and Muslim religion, their pastoral-nomadic lifestyle, and their tradition of hunting with eagles.
One report I read suggested there are “as few as 60 authentic eagle hunters left”. Perhaps the emphasis here is on “authentic” – whatever that means – because more than that number participate in the Eagle Festival in Ulgii (Ölgii) each year. Wikipedia puts the number of eagle hunters in Bayan-Ölgii Aimag alone at about 250.
Of course, the vast majority of these hunters are men. Conventional wisdom holds that eagle hunting was traditionally handed down from father to son. However, as one academic argues, eagle huntresses were probably more common in ancient times. A nomadic lifestyle relies on the physical competence of all its members. “The combination of horse riding and archery was an equalizer, leveling out physical differences: a woman on horseback is as fast and agile as a man.”
I already had my tickets to Mongolia in hand when the trailers for the hit documentary movie: The Eagle Huntress were released. The film follows thirteen-year-old Aisholpan Nurgaiv as she captures a young eagle from its nest, trains to become the first female in twelve generations within her family to become an eagle huntress, and goes on to be the first female to enter and win the competition at the annual Eagle Festival.
So, I was thrilled to hear she would be attending and competing in the festival I was travelling to (more about that anon).
I was even more thrilled to hear that the youngest eagle hunter-in-training in the family I was staying with was Nurguli, the patriarch’s 13-year-old granddaughter.
It was a real privilege to follow young Nurguli through the mountains, as her grandfather Sarkhad, and her uncles Razdak and Jakslak worked with their huge golden birds, and helped the teenager train hers.
.jpg)
Mounted Kazakhs with Eagles
Female golden eagles are much larger than their male counterparts, and are therefore able to bring down heavier prey. They are also considered better hunters. Fledgeling female eagles are taken from their nests and hand raised by the eagle hunters. Teaching the young eagle to come when called involves starting from the top of a hill.
.jpg)
Family Group
The eagle hunters rest near the top of the hill before launching the birds to be caught at the bottom. The leather hoods that the raptors wear to keep them calm will stay on until the hunters are ready to release the birds to flight. The hunters themselves all wear handmade, colourfully embroidered velvet outfits when they are working or competing with their birds. Their hats are trimmed with fox fur their eagles have caught for them.
Incoming Eagle
The eagle is called to the handler with a loud whistle. Young Nurguli looks so small on the hill, as her bird – which can reach speeds of 240 to 320 kilometres per hour (150 to 200 mph) when diving after prey – comes in to land.
Catching her Golden Eagle
Average female wing length for golden eagles in this region is from 65 to 72 cm (26 to 28 in). This raptor’s overall wingspan is greater than Nurguli’s height; she has to really brace herself for the bird’s landing.
The Eagle has Landed
Once her eagle has its reward of fresh meat, Nurguli takes hold of the jesses so that she has better control of her bird.
Training her Eagle
Eagle training takes time. The whole process of calling and catching her eagle is repeated; Nurguli hands her hooded eagle to her uncle, who carries it up the hill for another release.
Waiting for her Eagle
Grandfather Sarkhad gives Nurguli some pointers ….
Waiting for her Eagle
… before leaving her to wait alone and call her bird.
Eagle Landing
The powerful bird nearly knocks Nurguli over as it comes into land. You need to keep your bare skin well away from raptor beaks and claws: many an eagle hunter – including one of Nurguli’s uncles – bears the scars of eagle handling gone wrong!
Nurguli and her Eagle
Nurguli is a quiet, solemn girl. She did her best to ignore the small group of photographers following her around – a task made easier for her by the lack of a shared language. She lit up, however, when she was handling her bird.
Eagle Hunters x Four
Eagle Hunters Horseback
Mongolian horses are small, fearless, half wild, and unbelievably tough. They are an essential means of transport in this rugged environment.
Nurguli on Horseback
The eagle hunters have fashioned a pole system so that their birds can perch while riding horseback. Female golden eagles can weigh around 6.35 kg (14.0 lb), which is heavy to carry for any length of time.
Hunters on the Hill
Nurguli Running
Nurguli runs back down the hill …
Catching her Eagle
… to effect another eagle-catch.
Managing her Eagle
As Nurguli rewards her beautiful raptor, …
Managing her Eagle
… we can admire the power in those long wings, pointed beak, …
Golden Eagle in a Hood
… and long, sharp talons.
Sarkhad and Nurguli
It was lovely to watch the generations of family working together, passing traditions and knowledge forward.
Nurguli and her Eagle
Eagle Hunters on a Ridge
A couple of days later, at the top of another rocky ridge …
Eagle Huntress on a Ridge
… Nurguli was taking her turn at launching a golden eagle – a feat that takes some strength.
Nurguli
Young Nurguli is the face of the future for Mongolia’s Kazakh eagle hunters.
In 1932, a Torghut noble from Mongolia, Princess Nirgidma (1907-1983), famous horsewoman and eagle huntress, told a National Geographic interviewer: “We Mongols are emancipated … a good horse and a wide plain, that’s our desire.”
This desire continues, and the spirit lives on.
It is good to see that it is being passed on to the future generation.
To the Future!
.jpg)
Pictures: 28&30Septembery2016
[…] HomesteadAfter a morning of eagle-hunt training (see: Nurguli, Kazakh Eagle Huntress), we crossed the rocky plateau from our gers to the winter home of our Kazakh hosts: flat-roofed […]
[…] and repetition, and we had watched as the family got their raptors back into hunting form (see: Nurguli, Kazakh Eagle Huntress; How to Train your Eagle; and Eagle Hunters in the […]