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Erik Nylander (Mid Sweden University)
In her footsteps
Gold
International Picture Story
International Picture Story
For 2000 years, Kazakh men have been hunting with golden eagles. Since the past centuries, most of them live in the Altai mountains of western Mongolia, where the traditions and knowledge have been passed on through the generations, always from father to son.
But recently, fifteen year old girl Aisholpan Nurgaiv changed the circumstances and shocked the eagle hunting society by being first female to enter and win the world’s biggest eagle hunting competition.
This project follows the life of thirteen year old Bor Dameli Shokan, one out of very few young girls that are following in Aisholpans footsteps and started hunting. Right now Bor is training her own eagle to reach her dreams, hoping that one day she will become famous and accepted as a true eagle hunter.
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Story: In her footsteps
Dreams
Bor Dameli Shokan, 13, is one of a handful Kazakh girls in Mongolia that are practicing the art of hunting with eagles.
In western Altai Mountains she move around with her nomad family and their cattles between different places to live, eight times each year.
When Bor was born as the second girl in the family with no older brothers, she got to do the mens shores from an early age. Among duties of taking care of the animals, she've always had a good hand and fascination in her father and grandfathers eagles.
Since the male tradition always been taught from father to son, she never thought she could be a eagle hunter herself. But when a girl just two years older, Aisholpan Nurgaiv, participated and won the biggest eagle hunting competition there is and became famous, Bor finally saw the opportunity to start hunting herself.
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Story: In her footsteps
Sky high
It's heavy work carrying around a 10kg golden eagle on your arm, sometimes in temperatures below -40 celsius. Still many men think hunting is too hard for a woman, and claims that the women should take care of the home and kids instead - like they always have been.
That being said, the importance of more girls showing their physical and psychological strength by going against the norms are huge.
Recently Bor got her first own eagle, and little by little she is now training to make it hunt on her command. It will take years of practice to make a great cooperation. Fox and rabbits are the main pray. The eagles big tallons and sharp beak making it a raw killer that easily could cause great damage to a human.
"Even if I know what it's capable of, I'm never afraid of my bird. We've made a very special bond of trust", Bor states.
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Story: In her footsteps
Traces
Winter is the hunting season, when pray can be tracked easily in the fresh snow. Hunting with eagles have never been about hunting for food for the Kazakhs, but to get furs and make warm clothing of. Now though, it's mainly the strong and proud tradition that keep the Kazakhs hunting.
It's common to hunt in groups, where one person ride along the bottom of a mountain making noises to scare the pray. When the pray run out of their hide, hunters higher up the mountain let their eagle attack from above.
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Story: In her footsteps
Home
For the Kazakh people of Mongolia, eagles are a holy animal. An eagle live with the family for 7-10 years until it being released by their owner, to live the other half of it's life in the free.
It's three ways to get your eagle. Either the hunter steal it from a nest before the eagle learn to fly, often in very dangerous locations of the mountains. Some families find this the only fair way and what will also prove the hunters courage when he/she get it. The other ways are to trap a wild grown up eagle, or to buy it from someone that caught it for you.
Bors eagle have just been passed on to her from Bors grandfather Tabai Tabisbek, that just retired as a hunter. Shokan families second winter house, in Dayan area, is six hours from the town of Ulgii. The neighbors are few, and with long distance apart. The solar panel charging a car battery to provide electricity for light bowls and one hour of watching Indian soap operas every day.
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Story: In her footsteps
Morning bliss
The family of Bor contains of her parents, three sisters, a brother and her grandfather. She go to school in a village two hours away, where she stay with her relatives during the weeks. Bor hope that her eagle hunting skills will make her famous one day, so she can travel the world just like her idol Aisholpan Nurgaiv. Aisholpan were just starring in a documentary about her being the first known female hunter, and are now a idol and national symbol through whole Mongolia.
Next to Bors bed her eagle sleep during night, to keep it warm and away from predators outside. A hood keep the eagle blinded, since it will try to fly off when it can see.
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Story: In her footsteps
Family matters
Bors father, Semser Shokan, was taught the art of eagle hunting by his father when he was 14 years old. Over the years he have had ten different eagles. Samser think it's a good thing that girls have started to hunt. So far Bor have been following him to hunt only a few times, to watch and learn. But in a few months Semser expect his daughter to do her first hunt on her own.
"Not all girls can be eagle hunters. You need to have the strength and a lot of passion to make it happen. Bor sure got both of that.", Semser say.
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Story: In her footsteps
Western inspiration
The Shokan families winter home are filled with colorful wallpapers of more or less surrealistic western paintings and photos.
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Story: In her footsteps
Hunters siluette
Out of the 250 remaining eagle hunters in western Mongolia, there is not stated how many of these that are women. Some say three, some say fifteen. What we do know is that they are very few.
"In 5-6 years I think I'll be a complete eagle hunter. But I don't know how long I can continue. What will happen if I get married or if I have to move for studies? I don't know if I still could hunt. Only time will tell", Bor Dameli Shokan say.
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