However admirable Ashiolpan seems (and she is), and however fine the movie the Eagle Huntress is (and I suspect it is, and I want to see it), SHE IS NOT THE FIRST EAGLE HUNTRESS. This mistaken belief is particularly promulgated by American reviewers and I know I shouldn't expect much of them; I should only be happy they're saying a form of hunting is good.
But for the record, with leaving out dubious semi-contenders like Princess Nirgigma in the 20s, who I very much doubt trained her own eagles, or Frances Flint Hamerstrom, who as far as I know never hunted with her eagle or participated in Asian culture, the FIRST eagle huntress is Lauren McGough, originally of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, who I originally helped achieve her dreams when she was 16, when she went over and hunted with the late Aralbai. She was so taken with this that she won a Fulbright Scholarship and spent a year in remotest Bayaan Olgii Aimag in the westernmost point of Mongolia learning both the Kazakh and Mongol languages while training her first eagle, Alema ("Milky Way") which she trapped herself. She subsequently caught 30-odd foxes with her, plus other game. She has not yet written up her experiences, but everyone who knows her knows that she is the real thing. She's hunting right now with her eagle...
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| Lauren at 16 with Aralbai |
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With Alema soon after capture
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3 comments:
Which leaves the door open for another film?
SBW
Mr Bodio, I just finished reading Eagle Dreams at 1am this morning. All aspects of the book are fascinating! I can attest to some of the culinary and cultural uniqueness since I have been to Qing Hai several times--my wife's home province in China. In the book you make reference many times to photographs taken but the middle section only has a small selection of these. I am wondering if a further tome containing these pictures is forthcoming or perhaps a webpage
Mr Bodio, I just finished reading Eagle Dreams at 1 am today. All aspects of this book were truly fascinating and enjoyable. My wife is from Qing Hai on the Tibetan plateau in China and I can attest to the uniqueness of some cultural and culinary features. In the book you make reference several times to photographs taken, but the middle section only contains a few selections ( probably the publishers restrictions). Is it possible to publish a book containing these missing pictures? A supplement as a journey in pictures? Or perhaps a webpage devoted to Mongolia and Kazakhstan. Thanks for the joy you bring your readership ( I have read two of your other books and own all of them except Wild Space Open Seasons which is s little expensive) CM
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