Staying with an eagle hunter – Kyrgyzstan

The late Sogan Bai

I must admit that when I first heard we would be staying with an eagle hunter I was a bit confused. For a moment I wondered: does this guy shoot eagles?? He doesn’t, you’ll be relieved to know. The truth however is no less gruesome for those with a queasy disposition.

Early in our stay in Kyrgyzstan, we travelled to the shore of Lake Issyk Kul, and spent a night in the home of Sogan Bai, a famed eagle hunter. We were to stay with him for one night, then hike up into the mountains to a yurt that he owned.

He greeted us and the while the ladyfolk of the family prepared an excellent meal he gave us a tour of his garden. Pride of place went to his three eagles, all of whom he had owned for over twenty years. They would be taken all over the country and indeed to neighbouring Kazakhstan to take part in competitions. To explain the nature of these tournaments, he took us to another area of his garden, and here we were all shocked. In a pit in the ground, covered by a tight wire mesh, were two wolf cubs. These, he explained to us, would be bait for the upcoming contest.

Difficult as it was for us to comprehend, the eagles are of course natural hunters. Mammal cubs are very much on their menu in the wild, and while this would be a manufactured situation, this is a way of life in central Asia and has been for centuries. While Sogan Bai might have access to food in the more conventional way and make money from visitors, his ancestors would have used the eagles to catch animals for food and for the skins, which could be sold to support the family.

Once up in the mountains, we saw the eagle at work. A rabbit that had been brought along was set free, with the eagle up the mountain a few hundred metres away. Once the eagle was allowed to fly, the rabbit’s fate was sealed. He didn’t even see it coming, and within a minute of the eagle’s silent strike the rabbit’s innards were being devoured by the giant bird. Not a sight for the faint hearted, I can assure you.

I really loved the chance to converse with this fascinating man. My halting Russian was just enough for us to learn about his life as he explained his life since his marriage 40 years prior (he proudly showed off his wedding present; a silver samovar), his life as a senior party member in the communist period, the stuttering beginnings of an independent state, and now his challenges in making a living from the few visitors he receives in Kyrgyzstan. There has rarely been a better argument to indulge in learning more languages as we sat and learned as much as my Russian would allow.

Eagle hunting might not sit so easily with us western town folk, but it was hard not to admire this stoic character who had seen so much, and who by opening his doors to visitors was making yet another adjustment to his life in order to survive.

(Aug 2008)

Postscript: Since writing this post I learned that Sogan Bai sadly passed away in 2009. His sons continue to welcome visitors to this wild corner of Kyrgyzstan.