Spectacular golden eagle festival in remote Mongolia

(9 Oct 2018) LEADIN:
Traditional eagle hunters have wowed crowds with a spectacular display of falconry at a remote location in Mongolia.
There's renewed interest in the Golden Eagle festival following the release of a film that highlighted the new role of women in the sport.
STORYLINE:
In the far west of Mongolia, these hunters are keeping the ancient art of eagle hunting alive.
The small ethnic Kazakh minority living in the country continues to practice the tradition.
Their skills the highlight of the 19th annual Golden Eagle Festival, held in Bayan-Ulgii province, the most rugged and remote part of Mongolia.
This colorful and picturesque event attracts the best hunters, along with thousands of foreign tourists.
To highlight the hunters' skills, a number of competitions are held, including eagle calling competitions.  
The eagle is released from the top of the nearby mountain, before descending to the hunter's outstretched arm. The most successful hunter calls his eagle to land in the fastest time.
"This year a total of 120 eagle hunters participated in the festival. So this was a very successful event. Amongst the hunters eighteen were selected and awarded for their outstanding performances. Along with the eagle hunting traditions, the festival aims to highlight and preserve other aspects of Kazakh culture," says Medeukhan Saipolda, the president of Mongolian Eagle Hunters Association.
The festival also supports the local community by providing an opportunity to sell their traditional Kazakh handicrafts and local cuisine to visitors.  
Participants dressed in traditional Kazakh fur costumes parade their eagles on horseback to the sound of rousing traditional music.
While eagle hunting is usually performed by men, there's an increasing number of young women now taking part.
The success of the film the Eagle Huntress helped to break down the social barriers that had limited female participation.
The film follows 13-year-old Aisholpan Nurgaiv, who was the first female to enter a competition at the Eagle Festival.
She subsequently won the competition by breaking a speed record in one of the events. She has become an icon for the growing number of female eagle hunters.
"Being in a film was very difficult at the beginning as I was very shy. Later it became easier and easier, " says Nurgaiv.
"I am no longer fazed by the fame I have received. Thanks to the strong support of my parents, I was determined to fulfill my dreams,"
"In the future I want to establish the fund and open a school to support my community," she adds.
Organisers say the connection between the hunter and the eagle is sacred. Eagle chicks are captured while they are still in the nest and brought to live with the hunter's family. As the eagle matures it develops a very close bond with its owner.
However this unique way of life is under threat by modernization. The festival is a way of preserving these traditions by highlighting the Kazakh way of life to the world
And thanks to pioneers such as Aisholpan, opposition by traditionalists to the role of girls and women in eagle hunting has waned.
"There are no such rules that only the men, or head of the house has to hunt," says Haraskhan Ilyankhai, a 56-year old eagle hunter, who has participated since the establishment of this festival nineteen years ago.
"When I am away for work my eagle is looked after by my wife, my dear Almagul. She feeds, holds and comforts my eagle," he adds.

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