The Golden Eagle Festival Elizabeth Thao
Objectives Mongolia The Kazakhs in the Bayan-Ulgii Province Where is the festival held? When and What is it? Golden Eagles
Mongolia Location: Northern Asia, between China and Russia Area: 1,564,116 sq km Population: 3,041,142 Capital and Largest City: Ulaanbaatar Language: Predominately Khalkha Mongol, Turkic, and Russian Photo Credit:
Kazakh Nomads Originally spelled Qazaq, which in the Turkic dictionary means “independent” or “freeman” The Kazakh people are the descendants of Turkic tribes, Mongol groups, Indo-Iranian tribes and the Huns. Their religion is Islam. They live in gers, also known as yurts
Where is the festival held? In the western area of the Altai Mountains in Bayan-Ulgii province in Mongolia Photo credit:
When and What is it? The festival takes place on October 2 nd and 3 rd 1st Day -The day starts a parade to highlight the craftsmanship of the traditional costumes and hunting gear -Continues with a series of performances and games. 2 nd Day -Everyone gathers by the Altai mountain for the golden eagle competition.
During the ceremony speed and agility of the eagles and the bond between hunter and bird are tested and celebrated. The Golden Eagle Festival is a 6,000 year old tradition. The tradition started out with the Kazakhs just hunting with golden eagles so that they could get their sources of food. The festival serves as a purpose to preserve their traditions. Photo Credits: c1c271a9d842.jpg (Top Right) c1c271a9d842.jpg (Bottom Right)
Golden Eagles They can live up to 50 years Wingspan averages to 3-7 ft They can dive at their prey with up to 150 mph or more Golden eagles can see foxes and rabbits from as far away as a mile They are trained for falconry The Kazakhs capture and train the eagles and then they release them after 10 years back into the wild Photo Credit: Videos: Golden eagles and their hunters on the second day of the festival. =golden+eagle+festival&hl=en&emb=0 &aq=0&oq=golden+eagle+festi#q=gold en+eagle+festival+mongolia&hl=en&vi ew=2&emb=0 =golden+eagle+festival&hl=en&emb=0 &aq=0&oq=golden+eagle+festi#q=gold en+eagle+festival+mongolia&hl=en&vi ew=2&emb=0 A photographer’s view of the golden eagles and their hunters.
References Information: Photo Credits: Video: Feiler, I. e+festi#q=golden+eagle+festival+mongolia&hl=en&view=2&emb=0 Delaney, J.