Surviving the Wolves: The Epic Eagle Hunt of Deloun Valley | FULL DOCUMENTARY

[Music] fire [Music] Roda Bergen is 14 years old the age when a kazak of the alai must Master a hunting Eagle Roa goes to see his uncle shik POI an important member of the Janti Clan he lives in the district of Delon in Western Mongolia Shake PO is a Whitebeard the kazak's affectionate nickname for their Elders he is also an eagle trainer and and is famous throughout the entire Oli Province PO is one of the last Masters who knows how to train alai Eagles to hunt wolves this ancestral practice left a tremendous impression on Marco Polo who described it in the late 13th century training Eagles to hunt wolves perpetuates the kazak tradition that unites the three great predators of the alai Wolf Man and the Royal Eagle the bird of prey personifies the Intrepid soul of the Warriors the kazaks generally capture female Eagles which are stronger and more ferocious than the males it is also easier for them to show tenderness towards a female eagle in a traditional culture where men rarely Express their feelings towards their own wives in public [Music] for in early summer Po and Roda head into the mountains in search of a young Eagle for The Apprentice Hunter POI has spotted a balapan an eaglet that has not yet taken flight fore gives Roa some last minute advice to help the boy capture the precious companion that fate has set before him [Applause] [Music] [Music] the harsh valleys in the western foothills of the alai at an altitude of 2,500 M are home to the kazak people and to the Royal Eagles [Music] [Music] the mother is probably out hunting for her eaglet Roa has to take the balapan before she returns [Music] the young bird of prey is a royal eagle of the alai when fully grown she will weigh a dozen kilos and have a wingspan of 2 and 1/2 to 3 [Music] m foree [Music] spee for spee fore fore the eaglet is panting she's thirsty as soon as they get home they'll give her something to drink Roa is lucky it's a beautiful female her Talons are powerful Her Wings full and well proportioned according to a kazak proverb the eagle dispels the darkness in the heart of man an eagle brings light to a [Music] household the balapan gets you to the animals in the herd she must not view the goats and sheep as [Music] prey [Music] during communist rule the herds were confiscated and became part of collective [Music] Farms [Music] migrations were cut back and the itineraries were determined by a centralized planning [Music] [Music] system [Music] [Music] with the return to a market economy many kazak farmers like POI bought back their herds and returned to their ancestral way of [Music] life [Music] some you abandon their lambs after giving birth it's still cold and a newborn lamb wobbling on its unsteady legs at the back of the herd doesn't stand much chance of surviving predators are nearby lying in wait for easy prey [Applause] [Music] [Applause] hi [Applause] [Music] [Music] good [Applause] Po's wife demig gives the Petrified lamb a decoction of fortifying roots to build up its strength later Roa will return it to its mother yeah hey during the summer all the animals are brought together and entrusted to Shepherds who take them to the high pastures the herds return to the valley at the end of the season [Music] kazaks keep the slaughtered meat cold and consume it throughout the winter the innards are eaten [Applause] immediately [Music] the kazaks view the wolf as a mirror of man they believe its meat has medicinal qualities each organ of a wolf when eaten is believed to heal the corresponding human [Music] organ broa explains to his young companion how an eagle punctured this Wolf's skull with the grip of her Talons they are immersed in the spirit of the hunt oops Roa learns more about the eagle from the hunters of his clan his cousin rangar teaches him to put leather mitts on the Eagle's Talons to protect her from Fox and wolf bites fore foreign foreign speech foree C roa's father is impressed by his son's balapan he shows his son how to immobilize an eagle by pressing lightly with his [Music] finger [Music] [Music] the balapan training continues Coe works on her balance the eagle will need it when she's perched on her master's arm during the long hunt on Horseback with the high price of cashmir on International markets kazaks are raising more and more goats these animals are more voracious than sheep and they destroy the grazing land the region is becoming increasingly arid which is a serious [Music] problem ice helps conserve the water in the Region's only well [Music] the women are the caretakers of the Clan's Heritage they expect this winter to be harsh and [Music] difficult fore speech for speech fore speech foree spe foreign foreign speech speech foreign foreign foreign foreign foreign speech [Music] the B pan is now used to her unsteady perch the swaying cord doesn't throw her off [Music] [Music] balance spee [Music] [Applause] speee for today paie is teaching his nephew a crucial step in Eagle training tying the wing and tail feathers prevents the eagle from escaping [Music] only five of the large tail feathers have to be tied these function as a Rudder and without the rudder the eagle cannot gain altitude foreign foree fore spee foreign spee for for for spee foreign the balapan is fed like an athlete in two days she devours a rabbit or a Marmet that Roa kills in the Hills soaked in warm water the meat tastes like freshly killed flesh for Flight Training has started go each time the balapan lands on his glove poy rewards her with the rabbit foot each day po has the young eagle fly further [Music] Roa has to get used to carrying the weight of the eagle on his arm without [Music] weakening [Music] wolves have already killed many sheep in the valley Roda is sent out on reconnaissance [Music] a sheep was killed here recently from the tracks the Predator was a powerful animal since The Disappearance of their natural prey decimated by poachers and Commercial Hunters the wolves have been attacking the herds they have become used to the presence of men and are increasingly [Music] defiant [Applause] [Music] ohe speee for speech for taipak the chief of the Jan Tiki Clan awaits news from Roda you for forign for R's story about his Encounter With The Wolves adds another episode to the long Saga of his people since the time of Jan Beck the legendary ancestor of the kazaks of the western Alti the Clans have loved stories of wolves Eagles and warriors forign speech for spee spe fore foreign foreign for spe fore speech foreign speech foreign foreign for speech speech speech fore for speech forign speech foreign forch speech for speech [Music] for [Music] [Music] forch for speech spee spe speech spee spe for [Music] Fore the women make fur hats as well as fur collars and cuffs from Fox and wolf skins in the traditional style of the alai Shepherds the warm and colorful Interiors reflect the inner joy that allows the Spartan people to Bear their harsh and desolate environment women play a discreet but decisive role in kazak culture forign fore foreign spee fore speeech the ornamental styles of each family are transmitted from mother to daughter the patterns are altered by marriages and new designs are constantly added the designs are inspired by the true environment of the alai fore foreign speech foreign [Music] spee fore foreign foreign foreign speee speech foreign speech speech forch speech foreign speech fore Roa spreads the news in the valley tyac is organizing a large wolf hunt and is inviting all the hunters to join in will hosan participate hpan Eagle is a turnic a four-year-old female she has proved her worth many times over hos span's Prestige has grown with each of her tribs over the wolf spech for spech for hosan and his turnic are coming it will be a good [Music] hunt Roa takes tac's invitation to the chero the neighboring clan that is close to the Janti fore foreign speee the chief of the chero looks young and strong though he's over 80 years old Quai is rightly proud of tasan wh- shouldered alai the most highly prized of the royal Eagles the exceptional wingspan of the royal eagle of the alai makes it more powerful than his close cousins of the steps [Music] the chero are delighted to accept tac's invitation the white beards of the two clans meet at Po's house to decide on the details of the hunt as always they recall past Adventures some choose to embellish their stories and affectionate teasing is the rule speee for speech foree foree fore [Music] for the cheek of the sheep is a choice piece of meat by tradition it is offered to the eldest guest for the mountain is so arid that the kazaks like many nomadic people are closely dependent on their animals which provide most of their food for at dawn the hunters from the valley gather near Po's winter home the itel and Nyan Clans have joined the Janti and the chuk group hunts are unusual ual and everyone wants to excel today the honor of each Clan flies on the wings of the Eagles jokes and bravado mask everyone's anxiety each Hunter is wondering will my Eagle be up to the challenge will she be courageous foree [Applause] fore much more than just a wolf hunt this Gathering is a collective celebration of the spirit of the ancestors each Hunter hopes to capture the trophy once the wolf has been struck down he will shout out loud the name of his Clan's ancestral [Music] hero [Music] the hunters reach Cold Mountain near the Chinese border where Roa saw the [Music] Wolves the whitebeards who have the best Eagles position themselves on The High Ground the young Hunters are in the plane to drive the [Music] wolves [Music] [Music] in [Music] [Music] you come [Music] [Music] on [Music] to seal roa's introduction into the Brotherhood of hunters poy gives the boy the honor of releasing his Eagle Jana [Music] Jan with the help of tasan the eagle that belongs to kumbai the chero brings down the wol PO is delighted his Jana has honored him and he is able to shout out loud the name of his ancestor jny [Music] Beck [Music] the women celebrate the victory torious Return of the Hunters by showering them with pieces of dried [Music] [Music] cheese the kazaks have set up their yor in the summer pastures the ancestors have been honored their names have echoed several times throughout the alai and the wolves have stopped bothering the herds for spe for [Music] [Music] foreign howy is about to carry out a painful obligation but it's one that no kazak Hunter can avoid after living side by side with their Eagles for several years kazak Hunters return them to the Wilds the best ones are marked with strips of fabric Hunters looking for brave and Powerful balap pans will be on the watch for eaglets from these remark [Music] [Music] mothers [Music] [Music] for a wild eagle flies out to meet Jana their offspring will perpetuate the alliance between the eagle and the kazak [Music] Hunter

Channel: SLICE

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Keywords: documentary, documentaries, shortdoc, shortdocs, slice, slicedocs

Id: bVN9sdpmqBg

Length: 50min 31sec (3031 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 03 2024