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Boy and his Bactrian Camel
Believed to have been domesticated sometime before 2500 BC in Northeast Afghanistan or Southwestern Turkestan, Bactrian camels are the traditional pack animals of Inner Asia.
The annual Golden Eagle Festival in Bayan-Ölgii Province, Mongolia is a recognition of the Kazakh practice of hunting with eagles and an attempt to foster these skills into the future.
But it is more than that: it is a celebration of the rich cultural traditions of the between 100- and 200-thousand ethnic Kazakhs who live here in Western Mongolia.
These semi-nomadic Kazakhs are known for their affinity with nature and their deep connection to their animals. For centuries, they have trained Himalayan golden eagles to hunt with them, forming a deep bond with the magnificent birds. To cover the sparsely populated expanses of landscape known for its rugged terrain and extremes of temperature, they rely on hardy Kazakh ponies and/or wooly Bactrian camels, with most Kazakhs learning to ride at a very tender age. The herds of livestock they drive to distant plateaus in search of feed are both their livelihoods and the measure of their wealth.
These Western Mongolians are fiercely independent: most of those who live here are the descendants of people who left Kazakhstan in the 1930s to escape Russian rule. Their Turkic ancestors arose as a unique tribal identity between 1456 and 1465 in the steppes of Eurasia, and they have been known as nomadic ‘steppemen’, wandering outside the direct authority of the prevailing rulers, since before that time. They are as hardy as the weather, and the animals travelling with them are as wild as the landscape: the horses are agile but unruly, and the hunting eagles are returned to the wild after ten years or so, and are never fully tame. These animals may be family – but they are not pets.
We (myself and other travellers, Mongolian guides G and Segi of Shaman Tours and photographers Jeffrey Chapman and Winslow Lockhart from Within the Frame) had been staying with a family of eagle hunters for three days, and had had the honour and privilege of following them while they worked with their birds. The eagle-hunting season starts with the first frosts, when animals on the ground thicken their coats and change their fur colour. Training the birds requires staged exercises and lots of patience 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 Wild).
So, when the actual Golden Eagle Festival started, I was as interested in the other animals – especially the camels and horses – as I was in the huge birds.
Domestic Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus) – not to be confused with the distantly related, critically endangered wild Bactrian camels (Camelus ferus) still living in small pockets in the region – have been important for steppe nomads since being domesticated sometime before 2500 BC. They can carry weights of 170-250kg (370-55-lb) across long distances, making them particularly useful for nomads who transport their portable homes over a landscape that even modern 4 wheel-drives struggle with. The long outer hair is woven into ropes; the soft under hair is spun into wool for knitting or felted into fabric; and their milk is a rich source of food. At the end of their productive lives, they provide meat and leather.
Similarly, the dainty-looking but hardy and tireless Kazakh ponies are beloved companions, a means of transport, and a source of milk, hair and meat. Standing only 142-144 centimetres (14.0 – 14.0 1⁄2 hands; 56 – 56 1⁄2 in), their heritage stretches back to the 5th century B.C.
Come meet some of the hardy people and animals of the Mongolian steppes:
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Nothing for Miles …
One of the least-densely populated nations in the world, Mongolia has plenty of space. As we approach the Golden Eagle Festival grounds, we can see the gers lined up in the distance.
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Kazakh Hunter and his Golden Eagle
The búrkitshy or berkutchi – as eagle hunters are called in the Kazakh language – and their búrkit, or golden eagles, are the stars of the festival.
Mongolians and their Bactrian Camels
With their woolly coats and fatty humps, these domesticated Bactrian camels are tolerant of cold, drought, and high altitudes, making them perfect for the Mongolian steppes.
Portrait of a Bactrian Camel
Not only are they much more comfortable to ride than their single-humped cousins (Which I know from experience! see: On the Road to Erdene-Zuu), they seem ‘friendlier’ with their long, soft hair.
Fair Grounds
It is day one of the two-day festival, and the stands and tents are being set up across the plateau.
In Motion
Eagle hunters in their beautifully embroidered outfits and fur-trimmed hats ride in with their magnificent birds perched on their arms with the aid of a forked support-stick.
Camel Handler in a Fox-Fur Hat
Semi-nomadic eagle hunters often own extra horses and camels to help them transport camps.
Riding through the Gers
The eagle hunters keep coming, riding in from their temporary camps high in the surrounding Altai Mountains; …
Here’s Looking at You!
… some stop on their way into the fairgrounds to have their pictures taken. The big bird is hooded to keep her calm, but she turns her head towards me when she hears my voice.
Aymoldyr and the Falcon
The golden eagles might be the most common birds used by Kazakh eagle hunters, but they are not the only ones: while the eagles are trained to take down foxes and hares, falcons and merlins can be used to hunt smaller birds and animals. Meet: 6yo Aymoldyr and her Saker Falcon (Falco Cherrug). Every eagle-hunting family has a distinctive style of elaborately embroidered hunting costume.
Flag Carriers
The first official events of the two-day festival are the opening parade, where all the participating eagle hunters ride in (including a small contingent who have come across the border from Kazakhstan) and the presentation, where a jury evaluates the appearance and the traditional clothing and equipment of the eagle, the hunter, and the horse.
River Crossing
On Day Two, the blue skies stretch over a flat, autumnal landscape as we ride in our four-wheel drive Russian UAZ (Ulyanovsky Avtomobilny Zavod) vehicles from from our campsite to the fairgrounds.
Markets at the Eagle Festival
We arrive at the festival grounds early: the vendors have their blankets out, but as yet, few goods are on display.
Eagle Hunter on the Plateau
The flag on the top of the hill marks the point from which eagles are released when their handlers whistle for them from below. The eagle hunt is the highlight of the festival. The eagles chase a dummy ‘fox’ which is pulled by the eagle hunters.
Golden Eagle in the Blue Skies
Before long, magnificent big birds are taking turns, circling in the cloudless skies overhead.
Eagle Hunter on a White Horse
Their handlers zig-zag the field below on their feisty Kazakh horses, pulling a fox skin on a string for their eagles to ‘capture’.
Eagle Hunter and his Eagle
The teams are scored on how fast the eagles capture the foxes, and how efficiently the handlers reclaim their birds.
The Eagle has Landed
Team after team of horseback hunters take their turns calling their bird of prey in for the hunt.
Aisholpan and her Eagle
Thanks to the 2016 documentary The Eagle Huntress about her life, Aisholpan is probably the best-known eagle hunter at the festival. She had just returned from a promotional tour in the USA. I saw her briefly earlier in the day, and she rewarded me with a huge, self-possessed smile. In her sumptuous white fox furs, she’s as regal as any of the men as she watches her eagle come in for the ‘kill’.
Golden Eagles’ Wingspan
Golden eagle are very large raptors, with hunting females weighing up to 6.35 kg (14.0 lb). Their wingspan can reach 2.34 metres (7 ft 8 in), almost dwarfing their handlers and the Kazakh horses.
Golden Eagle in the Sky
Another eagle s0ars in the sky, with her jesses trailing behind.
Eagle and the Hunter
And, another comes in for the ‘fox’. The audience watches and takes pictures.
Watchers at the Festival
Most of the audience are Kazakh locals who are happy to share their regional festival with the visitors.
Alone on the Steppe
There is an overwhelming sense of space around the festival venue, …
Local Audience
… even though there is a decent crowd – local and tourist – around the rope barrier that marks the grounds.
Camels on the Plain
There aren’t many camels racing, so I’m lucky to catch two of them in action; these camels can reach speeds of up to 65 kilometres per hour (40 mph), although the riders seem to be working as hard as the beasts!
Racing Camels
The ‘race track’ for the camels and their riders is cordoned off with a rope; my longest lens does its best to bring the action closer as the giant beasts lumber across the plain.
Camel Running
The Bactrians’ thick wooly coats, and long hairy manes and beards have already thickened for winter. When the weather warms in spring, the shaggy winter coat is shed extremely rapidly, in clumps.
With the camel races finished, it was time to go back to the birds.
For even if they are not the only ones at the festival, they are the stars!
Until next time,
Happy travels!
Photos: 01-02October2016
