Karakol Birds and Brides

Oct. 28, 2023- Karakol Birds and Brides This morning our welcoming party was a trio of friendly dogs. One was a puppy who was still young enough to be mouthy. He loved my jacket sleeve. Such joy. To distract us from our relentlessly bumpy ride this morning, Sayeed challenged us with a history quiz. What happened here in the 14th century which affected Western Europe? The Bubonic plague of the 14th century has been traced to the gerboa, a Gobi Desert rat. The plague jumped to this area and spread West. What did nomadic tribes contribute to civilization starting in 4000 BCE? Making and use of felt, domestication of then breeding of horses, chariots with spoked wheels, geometrical collapsible portable yurts, trousers,belt buckles, boots with heels, stirrups. Our ride was worth it. We arrived in Karakola at a field where we met a champion competitor who hunted with golden eagles. He is one of 50 licensed in the country. Hunters go in teams to steal eaglets from the nest. Females are preferred. The team distracts the parents as one man climbs down a rope to the nest. Birds start to train three months later and are handled with affection and consistency. You really don’t want to be on the wrong side of that beak or talons. They have elephantine memories and know who’s trustworthy. They hunt small animals ( fox, rabbits, jackal, etc) and are allowed to eat the meat of their kill. Hunters get the pelts. Adult golden eagles weigh 12 lbs. and have a wingspan of six feet. We learned how heavy that was when we were allowed to hold her on our arm. They live 50-60 years, but are only used to hunt for 20. They are then released back into the wild to live out their lives. Our 5 year old eagle was very vocal as she knew food was in the offing. One of the hunter’s sons ( 5th generation hunters) took the bird up a hill. The other son dragged a coyote pelt. As soon as the hood is removed, and the signal given, she was off. The bird quickly pounced. She was rewarded with raw meat from the trainer. The next demonstration was unnerving. A live bunny was set in the field and the eagle was released from the hill. We all rooted for the rabbit. It didn’t run and the eagle quickly caught it. The bird won’t eat or release the catch until the trainer gives a signal. In this case, the rabbit was alive and walked away. But it’s fate was not as we imagined. Because of the damage done to it in the take down, the rabbit had to be killed. It will be dinner. That is their way. Happy bird, happy family, sad tourists. We stopped briefly at a museum honoring Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky. You remember him from history class, right? He was an explorer/spy for Russian military from 1867, until he died of typhus at age 49. Sayeed said he travelled with an entourage of young men and there was never mention of any women in his life. Duh. Just say he was gay and stop pussyfooting around. The museum was unheated and I was cold. I returned to the bus before the walk to the grave. If you got upset about the dead bunny, wait until I tell you about kidnapped brides. Lunch was at the home of a Uyghur widow who told us her story. First, some background. It’s an ancient tradition of nomadic tribes of Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia for young men to kidnap their brides. Not a surprise given the historical status of women. It continued until 1941, when Soviets put a stop to it. Now there’s a penalty of jail time, but police would rather have the families work it out before prosecuting, Today, kidnapping may be consentual and pre- arranged. In that case, it’s only done for “tradition” with the bride making a big show of protesting. Sayeed said it’s more like a public elopement. In a true modern kidnapping, the bride is held at the home of her kidnapper’s family until her father finds her. Negotiations are entered and famiies try to convince the bride to stay. Upon agreement, a white scarf is placed on the girl’s head and a 30 day betrothal period starts. The wedding is simple. If she insists, she may refuse, but it taints her father’s name for a short time. Our hostess, age 59, was kidnapped at age 18 as she left her university class. Her contemporaries were experiencing the same thing. When her father came to get her, the families agreed she would stay. She never agreed. Her husband wouldn’t let her continue her education. She became a servant for his parents and siblings. After some months she realized he was a kind but firm man and fell in love with him. They were married 33 years before he died. They had three daughters and a son who drowned at a young age. She explained to her husband that her main regret was not getting an education. He vowed that he would rescue any daughter who was kidnapped before she finished university. The eldest daughter married a man of her choice , but the middle daughter was kidnapped at 17 by someone she didn’t know. Her father stormed into where she was being kept and made it clear he wasn’t leaving without his daughter. She is now married to a man of heir choice and is a college graduate. The last girl is still in school. In the end, pretend kidnappings are still popular since it saves having huge expensive wedding. Tomorrow we move on to Bishkek, our final destination. Toby