Just before Christmas I went to a small cinema in Leicester to see the critically acclaimed ‘Eagle Huntress’ directed by Otto Bell and narrated by Daisy Ridley (of Star Wars fame), a documentary film which follows a young Kazakh girl called Aisholpan Nurgaiv as she is trained by her father to hunt with a golden eagle on horseback.
This process requires skill and determination, and more extraordinary is the way in which Aisholpan’s father defies the age old tradition of passing this skill down from father to son. Throughout the film he and his daughter come under some scorning words from the Kazakh elders who make claims such as women get too cold to properly fly an eagle, or are too afraid of the huge birds; Aisholpan shows true grit and determination in learning to hunt with her young golden eagle, and forms a bond which is so beautifully portrayed in the documentary. She more than exceeds the expectations of pessimists around her, going on to win the Golden Eagle Festival and braving the harsh Altai Mountain steppes to catch a wild fox with her eagle; the ultimate accomplishment for any eagle hunter.
Despite Aisholpan’s juggling of training a young eagle and attending school in the steppes of western Mongolia, I really feel that the true hero of the story is her father. He was brave enough to break the 4000 year old tradition of men competing in the annual Golden Eagle Festival, and reaps the rewards of his risk taking and belief in his daughter. This really is a moving and motivational story, which is stunningly told with drone shots over the incredibly ruugged Altai Mountains and the fly-on-the-wall perspective in which Aisholpan’s story is followed. I am a massive movie-head, and love the way in which film as a medium can be so inspirational and incite such emotions through the use of music and imagery; this documentary film moved me to tears in some instances, and left me feeling like I really could do anything. I would really urge you to see this film- it is up for a BAFTA on the 11th February, reflecting the power of the story and quality of footage which brings it together.
After watching this film, I was intrigued to find out more about the unique relationship the Kazakh people have with the golden eagles. As a bird of prey handler and keeper myself, I was inspired by the dedication, commitment and respect the Kazakhs have for golden eagles. I felt I could relate to the way in which they were so empowered by their eagles, adorning themselves in full hunting regalia for the Golden Eagle Festival to look impressive whilst showcasing the skills they have been practicing with their eagle.
The documentary opened with a Kazakh man on a small (but tough looking) pony riding up to a rocky outcrop. He carries a live lamb on one side and his eagle, hooded, on his arm. When he reaches a high point he climbs off the pony, prays and gives thanks for the life of the lamb before sacrificing it for his eagle. The footage showed the ritual before an eagle is returned to the wild after being trained and handled for 7 years. It was clear that this man was sorry to see his eagle go; he looks back at it feasting on the hot carcass as he returns down the mountainside, an example of the respect for life which the Kazakh hold. They take their golden eagle as a chick from the nest, but return them to the wild fighting fit and full of fresh warm lamb before being left to the grandeur of the Altai Mountains and the rugged wilds of Mongolia. Females are usually taken from the nest as they are larger and generally more tenacious hunters than males due to their size, and are of breeding age by the time they are released. The giving back of the eagle to the wild for it to live out the rest of its years shows a relationship between humans and wildlife which is so rare now. We usually take without regard for the effect this may have, and rarely put back- perhaps in the western world we could learn a thing or two about the Kazakh relationship with the natural world, and start to make decisions in our own lives which can help us give back to the world on which we find our sustenance. This could be as simple as recycling, or volunteering with local environmental conservation projects!
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