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Hunting with eagles

Falconers in Mongolia hunting foxes with a golden eagle, before 1932

Hunting with eagles is a traditional form of falconry found throughout the Eurasian Steppe, practiced by ancient Khitan and Turkic peoples. Today it is practiced by Kazakhs and the Kyrgyz in contemporary Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as diasporas in Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia, and Xinjiang, China. Though these people are most famous for hunting with golden eagles, they have been known to train northern Eurasian goshawks, peregrine falcons, saker falcons, and more.[1]

Terminology

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Golden Eagle Festival in Mongolia

In both Kazakh and Kyrgyz, there are separate terms for those who hunt with birds of prey in general, and those who hunt with eagles.

In Kazakh, both qusbegi and sayatshy refer to falconers in general. Qusbegi comes from the words qus ("bird") and bek ("lord"), thus literally translating as "lord of birds." In Old Turkic, kush begi was a title used for the khan's most respected advisors, reflecting the valued role of the court falconer.[2] Sayatshy comes from the word sayat ("falconry") and the suffix -shy, used for professional titles in Turkic languages. The Kazakh word for falconers that hunt with eagles is bürkitshi, from bürkit ("golden eagle"), while the word for those that use goshawks is qarshyghashy, from qarshygha ("goshawk").

In Kyrgyz, the general word for falconers is münüshkör. A falconer who specifically hunts with eagles is a bürkütchü, from bürküt ("golden eagle").

History

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1870s illustration of golden eagle falconers in Kazakhstan

Güktürks

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In Old Turkic, kush begi was a title used for the khan's most respected advisors, reflecting the valued role of the court falconer.[3]

Khitans

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Song dynasty painting of Khitan eagle hunters on horse, 10th century

In 936-45 AD the Khitans, a nomadic people from Manchuria who spoke a Para-Mongolic language, conquered part of north China.[4] In 960 AD China was conquered by the Song dynasty.[5] From its beginnings, the Song dynasty was unable to completely control the Khitan who had already assimilated much of Chinese culture. Throughout its 300-year rule of China, the Song dynasty had to pay tribute to the Khitan to keep them from conquering additional Song dynasty territory.[6] Despite the fact that the Khitans assimilated Chinese culture, they retained many nomadic traditions, including eagle hunting[7]

Kyrgyz

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In 1207, the Kyrgyz nomads surrendered to Genghis Khan's son Jochi. Under Mongol rule, the Kyrgyz preserved their nomadic culture as well as eagle falconry traditions.[8][9] Archaeologists trace back falconry in Central Asia to the first or second millennium BC.[10] [11]

Kazakhs in Mongolia

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Kazakh eagle hunter in Altai Tavan Bogd National Park, Mongolia.

During the communist period in Kazakhstan, many Kazakhs fled for Mongolia to avoid being forced to abandon their nomadic lifestyle and sent to collective farms.[12] They settled in Bayan-Ölgii Province and brought with them their tradition of hunting with eagles. There are an estimated 250 eagle hunters in Bayan-Ölgii, which is located in the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia.[13][14][15] Their falconry custom involves hunting with golden eagles on horseback, and they primarily hunt red foxes and corsac foxes.[16] They use eagles to hunt foxes and hares during the cold winter months when it is easier to see the gold-colored foxes against the snow.[17] Each October, Kazakh eagle hunting customs are displayed at the annual Golden Eagle Festival.[18][19] Although the Kazakh government has made efforts to lure the practitioners of these Kazakh traditions back to Kazakhstan, most Kazakhs have remained in Mongolia.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Keen, Dennis. "Kyrgyz Falconers Use Falcons, Too". The Central Asian Falconry Project. Archived from the original on 2016-04-07. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  2. ^ Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E.; Lewis, B.; Pellat, C., eds. (1980). The Encyclopaedia of Islam. Vol. 5. Leiden: E. J. Brill. p. 18.
  3. ^ Gibb, Sir H. A. R. (1954). The Encyclopaedia of Islam. Brill Archive.
  4. ^ The Art of War by Sun Tzu - Special Edition by Sun Tzu and Lionel Giles (2005) p.170
  5. ^ China: Its History and Culture (4th Edition) by W. Scott Morton, Charlton M. Lewis, and Charlton Lewis (2004) p.100
  6. ^ 5 Steps to a 5: AP World History (5 Steps to a 5) by Peggy Martin (2004) p.115
  7. ^ Eagle Dreams: Searching for Legends in Wild Mongolia by Stephen J. Bodio (2003) p. 26
  8. ^ Soma, Takuya. 2007. ‘Kyrgyz Falconry & Falconers and its Transition’. In Proceedings of Great Silk Road Conference, Culture and Traditions, Then and Now 2006. 130-139. Tashkent: Academy of Uzbekistan/ UNESCO
  9. ^ 相馬拓也 2008「形象なき文化遺産としての狩猟技術: キルギス共和国イシク・クル湖岸における鷹狩猟のエスノグラフィ」『国士舘大学地理学報告2007（第16号）』: pp.99-106 [1]
  10. ^ "- Ancient Falconry". Archived from the original on 2011-02-18. Retrieved 2012-04-07.
  11. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ^ "Kazakhstan Maps & Facts". 24 February 2021. Archived from the original on 2024-03-24.
  13. ^ "IJIH - International Journal of Intangible Heritage".
  14. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-12-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-10-17. Retrieved 2015-10-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. ^ "Hanging with eaglehunters in western Mongolia". Archived from the original on 2012-02-14.
  17. ^ "Takuya Soma (2014) Eagle Hunters in Action: Hunting Practice of Altaic Kazakh Falconers in Western Mongolia, Falco (No.44) | PDF | Falconry | Fox".
  18. ^ "Discover Mongolia - Official Tourism Website of Mongolia". Archived from the original on 2013-01-22. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
  19. ^ "IJIH". Archived from the original on 2017-06-21. Retrieved 2014-06-14.

Further reading

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