03:28Birds of prey: Mongolia's Kazakh diaspora showcases their ancient hunting traditions at Golden Eagle festival
Representatives of Mongolia's Kazakh diaspora showed off their hunting skills with birds of prey at the Golden Eagle 2023 festival at the Chinggis Khan Palace tourist complex in Ulaanbaatar.
The footage, taken on Friday, March 3, shows the festival participants conducting a show hunt. According to festival organiser Chinsorig, the two-day festival brings together the country's best eagle tamers.
"The event's goal is to familiarise residents of the capital and tourists with Kazakh culture, as not everyone can visit Bayan-Ulgiy aimak. [The festival is also held] to spread the culture of eagle hunting," he noted.
The criteria for selecting the best hunter are speed, accuracy, and agility. Nurbek, a 67-year-old festival participant, has tamed his sixth eagle in 36 years.
"I attended the festival four times in my aimak, and six times in the capital. [Hunting] with an eagle is a family tradition; my parents did it as well," he said.
According to media reports, 19 hunters, ranging in age from 17 to 69, competed this year.
Since 2008, the Golden Eagle Festival has been held in the spring and autumn.
The tradition of hunting with the golden eagle, the largest eagle, has existed in Central Asia for over six thousand years, mainly among the Kazakhs, Mongolia's second largest ethnic group, who live primarily in the Bayan-Ulgiy and Hovd aimags.
The golden eagle is a game bird used to hunt hares and predators. The hunters, known as berkutchis or kuzbegs, learn the craft as children and pass it down from generation to generation.
03:28Representatives of Mongolia's Kazakh diaspora showed off their hunting skills with birds of prey at the Golden Eagle 2023 festival at the Chinggis Khan Palace tourist complex in Ulaanbaatar.
The footage, taken on Friday, March 3, shows the festival participants conducting a show hunt. According to festival organiser Chinsorig, the two-day festival brings together the country's best eagle tamers.
"The event's goal is to familiarise residents of the capital and tourists with Kazakh culture, as not everyone can visit Bayan-Ulgiy aimak. [The festival is also held] to spread the culture of eagle hunting," he noted.
The criteria for selecting the best hunter are speed, accuracy, and agility. Nurbek, a 67-year-old festival participant, has tamed his sixth eagle in 36 years.
"I attended the festival four times in my aimak, and six times in the capital. [Hunting] with an eagle is a family tradition; my parents did it as well," he said.
According to media reports, 19 hunters, ranging in age from 17 to 69, competed this year.
Since 2008, the Golden Eagle Festival has been held in the spring and autumn.
The tradition of hunting with the golden eagle, the largest eagle, has existed in Central Asia for over six thousand years, mainly among the Kazakhs, Mongolia's second largest ethnic group, who live primarily in the Bayan-Ulgiy and Hovd aimags.
The golden eagle is a game bird used to hunt hares and predators. The hunters, known as berkutchis or kuzbegs, learn the craft as children and pass it down from generation to generation.