Golden Eagle Festival
The Golden Eagle Festival (Mongolian: Бүргэдийн наадам, Kazakh: Бүркіт той) is an annual cultural festival held in Bayan-Ölgii Province, Mongolia. Organized by the Mongolian Eagle Hunter's Association, it celebrates the traditions of Kazakh eagle hunters (bürkitshi) who train and hunt with golden eagles. Competitions are held to showcase eagle handling skills, as well as traditional Kazakh dress and horsemanship. Events take place both in central Ölgii and on the nearby steppe, approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) outside the town.
Prizes are awarded for categories such as best eagle at hunting prey, best eagle responding to its handler, and best presentation of traditional attire. Other events include horse racing, archery, and bushkashi, a horseback tug-of-war using a goatskin.
The festival was prominently featured in the 2016 documentary The Eagle Huntress, which followed 13-year-old Aisholpan, reportedly the first girl to participate and win in the competition. The film drew international attention to the festival, though aspects of its marketing and portrayal have been critiqued for historical inaccuracy.
Scholars and practitioners have debated the impact of tourism on eagle hunting traditions. Researchers such as Lauren McGough and Joseph Recupero have documented concerns about the commercialization of the festival, the rise of “hand-raised” eagles used for tourism rather than hunting, and shifting motivations among younger eagle hunters.[1][2]
A smaller related event, the Sagsai Golden Eagle Festival, takes place annually in September in nearby Sagsai village. It features a similar structure with approximately 40 participants and is particularly popular with photographers and journalists.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ McGough, Lauren (2019). Partnerships and Understanding Between Kazakh Pastoralists and Golden Eagles of the Altai Mountains: A Multi-Species Ethnography (Thesis). University of St Andrews.
- ^ Recupero, Joseph (2015). "The Price on Our Practices: Motivation and Cultural Commodification in the Mongolian Tourism Industry". ISP Collection. SIT Study Abroad.
- ^ "Altai Kazakh Eagle Festival". Discover Bayan-Olgii. 28 December 2012.
5. The Price on Our Practices: Motivation and Cultural Commodification in the Mongolian Tourism Industry"(2015). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 2203. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/2203 (on pages 34-5)
6. Wikipedia description for The Eagle Huntress documentary https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eagle_Huntress
Further reading
[edit]- Recupero, Joseph, "The Price on Our Practices: Motivation and Cultural Commodification in the Mongolian Tourism Industry"(2015). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 2203. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/2203 (Pages 34-5)
- When the Hunt is Over: Culture and Conservation in Kazakh Eagle Falconry. Nolan R. Ebner, PhD. 2016
External links
[edit]
Official website of Golden Eagle Festival organizers