CPOY 72 International Picture Story Gold: In Her Footsteps

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.

Caption

Slide 5 of 8

March 7, 2017

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.

Erik Nylander / Mid Sweden University

See more at cpoy.org