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Hunting with Eagles: In the Realm of the Mongolian Kazakhs (Hardcover)
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Hunting with Eagles: In the Realm of the Mongolian Kazakhs (Hardcover)
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For many hundreds of years Kazakh nomads have been grazing their
livestock near the Altai Mountains in western Mongolia. The Altai
Kazakhs are unique in their tradition of using golden eagles to
hunt on horseback. The lifestyle of these hunters, known in Kazakh
as burtkitshis, is changing rapidly, and over the last few years
the award-winning photographer Palani Mohan has spent time with
these men and their families, documenting a culture under threat.
The special bond between a hunter and his eagle begins when the
hunter takes an eagle pup from a nest high on the rock face. The
pups are usually about four years old (a golden eagle can live to
30 years of age). It's important that the pup has learned to hunt
and is not still dependent on her mother; but neither can she be
too old nor experienced, or she will not learn to live with humans.
The hunters take only female pups from the nest, as females are
larger and more powerful and aggressive than the males. Adult
female golden eagles can have a wingspan of up to 9 feet, and weigh
over 15 pounds. The eagle pup gradually learns to accept food from
the hunter, and once trust has been established, the hunter begins
to train the bird. The hunters describe the eagle as part of their
family. The eagle takes pride of place in the home most of the time
except during the day in the summer months or the warmest part of
the day in the winter months. While all the men in the family
handle the eagle, only the man who took her from the nest hunts
with her. Hunting takes place in winter, when temperatures can
plummet to minus 40 degrees Farenheit. The birds are carried in
swaddling, which the hunters claim keeps them both warm and calm.
The strong bond between hunter and eagle is strengthened by the
amount of time they spend together. Hunting trips can last many
days, as the hunter and eagle trek up to a mountain ridge to obtain
a good view across the landscape. Once the prey - usually a fox -
is spotted, the hunter charges towards it to flush it into the
open, then releases the eagle to make the kill. Hunters
traditionally wear fur coats made from the skins of the prey their
eagle has caught. The relationship between hunter and eagle
typically lasts six to eight years, then the eagle is released back
into the wild to breed. One hunter tells Mohan: 'You love them as
your own, even when you set them free at the end.' In his book,
which comprises an introductory essay and 90 dramatic duotone
images, Mohan explains how the burkitshis are slowing dying out.
Rather than endure the brutal winters, their children choose to
move to the capital, Ulan Bator, for a better way of life. There
are also fewer golden eagles in the Altai Mountains. Although the
'Golden Eagle Festival' takes place every October to showcase the
ancient art of hunting with eagles, attracting tourists from across
the world, there are only between 50 and 60 'true' hunters left.
This book is therefore a timely, important record of these proud
men and their magnificent eagles in a remote, unforgiving part of
the planet.
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