Salburuun as a Sport, or the Features of National Hunting!
The Kyrgyz people have developed a tradition of long group hunting, known as salbuuрун. Hunters would gather in groups and embark on multi-day expeditions into the mountains. Riding horses, they took with them a golden eagle, a loyal taigan (hunting dog), and a bow with arrows. They sourced their food along the way. During such expeditions, the Kyrgyz identified the best hunters, horses, eagles, and taigans. This served as a kind of selection process. Salbuuрун was also a test of a dzhigit's courage and agility. In some regions of Kyrgyzstan, a true dzhigit is still considered to be someone who can hunt game and protect sheep from predators using a bow, a dog, and a golden eagle. The hunter's bravery must be demonstrated not only by himself but also by his faithful friend – the taigan. In short, salbuuрун is a complex hunting game involving trained birds of prey, dogs, and traditional archery.
To tell us about this amazing sport, which has come to us from ancient times, we asked Almaz Akunov, who has transformed traditional hunting salbuuрун into a sport. Today, we have as a guest in the newspaper "Megapolis" the founder of this sport in its modern interpretation, the head of the federation, and the chief coach of the national team, Almaz Akunov.
- Our federation was registered four years ago. Before that, since 2006, we operated as an initiative group. It was then that the first republican festival was organized. The nomadic culture has been preserved in Kyrgyzstan, and this sport has a very rich history, as humanity began its existence with hunting. Falconry has even been recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of all humanity by UNESCO since 2010. We have the epic "Manas," which is called the encyclopedia of the entire nomadic people. I have been familiar with salbuuрун since childhood. The nomadic lifestyle of the Kyrgyz people allowed for the development of this activity; there were always taigans near the yurt, and a bow hung inside the dwelling. Just imagine, a person rides a horse with a bow, a taigan races on the ground, and a bird of prey soars in the sky – it’s incredibly thrilling.
- Why is salbuuрун considered a sport?
- It’s because the hunter must be in excellent physical shape. It’s not easy to ride a horse and hold a bird of prey on your arm; you also have to run over rough terrain. A hunter is a good warrior, as he is in excellent shape. Every sport has its history, and nomadic peoples raised their children, teaching them to hunt from a young age. By the age of eleven, they could already shoot a bow and distinguish between different types of birds of prey. I was interested in salbuuрун even before entering university; I read a lot of literature and was aware of folk traditions from childhood. After graduating, I began to think seriously about it. That’s when I managed to present salbuuрун as a sport. I often travel to various countries, and taking into account international experience, I developed regulations to align with foreign conventions. We even prepared standards for the title of Master of Sports of the KR, and in 2016, salbuuрун will be included in the program of the World Nomad Games. There are organizations for falconers and dog breeders, archers around the world. We plan to attract them to this sport from many different countries. This is a national sport, as clear competition rules have already been developed.
- Your festivals with the same name are known in many countries...
- Previously, we mainly held festivals in the Issyk-Kul region, but in the last two years, we have expanded to Talas and Naryn, and we also organize events in the Chui Valley. We are trying to reach the southern regions. Last year, for the first time, the republic championship was held at the "Ak Kula" racetrack, and we plan to hold it in the capital in 2016 as well. We have been conducting the "Salbuuрун" festival since 2006, and for three years now, we have been organizing international competitions. Guests come to us from Arab countries, Kazakh clubs, representatives from Turkmenistan, Mongolia, and Turkey. The president of the World Falconry Society even visited us. High-profile guests fly in from South Africa and Ireland. Now we are raising worthy youth.
- Could you introduce our readers to the rules of competitions with birds of prey?
- First of all, I would like to note that in competitions, we do not engage in animal baiting, and we only use dummies. It is illegal to torture animals in front of an audience.
As I mentioned, salbuuрун is a complex competition. "Borkot salu" translates to hunting with a golden eagle. The team consists of six people: one leader and five berkutchis, or hunters with eagles. According to the rules, participants test their eagles in two exercises, "Chyrga" and "ondok."
"Chyrga" - here, each berkutchi releases their eagle towards a dummy made from fox skin, which the rider pulls along behind them. According to the requirements, the eagle must reach the moving dummy at a medium speed and catch it. Time and speed of the bird's flight are evaluated. This exercise determines the training level of the eagle. According to the rules, the hunter can release their eagle only once.
"Ondok" - in this competition, the eagle is placed 200 meters away. At the judge's signal, the hunter begins to call their eagle while holding bait in their hands. Here, the time it takes for the eagle to reach the berkutchi's hand is evaluated. Each participant is allowed to call their eagle once, either standing on the ground or riding a horse. Participants must wear national clothing and, of course, have a passport for their birds of prey and an international veterinary vaccination certificate; additionally, there must be a certificate from the International Veterinary Organization.
There are also competitions called "Dalba," which involve the flight of a falcon on a lure. The team consists of six participants: a leader and five kushchu (falconers). In this type of competition, the speed of the falcon's flight is evaluated by launching it at the lure. Each kushchu is given two minutes to test their falcon. During this time, the bird must take off and simulate an attack on the lure, which the falconer spins on a rope. According to the rules, judges note how many times the falcon flew and simulated an attack on the dummy.
- It sounds incredibly exciting, and what about the taigans' trials...
- "Taigan jarysh" is a race for greyhounds. The team also consists of six people: a leader and five dog handlers. The dog's agility is determined by its speed over a distance of 350 meters. The dogs chase a dummy made from fox or hare skin, which the rider pulls along at a speed of 60-65 km/h, or the dummy is pulled by a special device. Judges evaluate the time it takes for the dogs to finish first. At the judge's signal, five dogs are released simultaneously each time.
- And of course, I would like to know about the rules of one of the most beautiful types - archery...
- Yes, that's right. "Zhaa atu" is shooting with a traditional bow. Here, teams of six compete: five foot archers and one leader. The archer shoots at a stationary target "Tekebuta" (depicting a mountain goat) from a distance of 35 meters, measuring 60 x 100 cm. Shooting is conducted in six rounds of five shots from different starting positions. This type is certainly different from Olympic archery, both in the participant's positions and the bow itself. I even opened my own workshop for making traditional bows. Competitions are held in the usual classic stance – facing the target, turned back, from a classic stance, and sitting on one knee facing the target. There are also competitions in archery on horseback at full gallop.
- Tell me, are there many enthusiasts of this sport in the republic?
- Mostly, there are many dog handlers. There are fewer berkutchis, as keeping a bird of prey is quite difficult; it needs to be fed fresh meat daily and given milk. This is very expensive. We have about 50 berkutchis, but half of them are good professionals, while others keep them more for tourism. We invite foreigners for real hunting, and therefore the number of fans of this sport is growing every time. I am confident that in time, salbuuрун will become one of the most popular sports. Of course, for now, this sport is not as popular as football and kok-boru, but we will definitely find our niche; it just takes time. Salbuuрун will become one of the most popular sports, as it includes such an ancient activity as hunting.
Without a doubt, salbuuрун is one of the most spectacular and beautiful sports, which, thanks to enthusiasts like Almaz Akunov, will not only be remembered but will also become a brand of our republic.
To tell us about this amazing sport, which has come to us from ancient times, we asked Almaz Akunov, who has transformed traditional hunting salbuuрун into a sport. Today, we have as a guest in the newspaper "Megapolis" the founder of this sport in its modern interpretation, the head of the federation, and the chief coach of the national team, Almaz Akunov.
- Our federation was registered four years ago. Before that, since 2006, we operated as an initiative group. It was then that the first republican festival was organized. The nomadic culture has been preserved in Kyrgyzstan, and this sport has a very rich history, as humanity began its existence with hunting. Falconry has even been recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of all humanity by UNESCO since 2010. We have the epic "Manas," which is called the encyclopedia of the entire nomadic people. I have been familiar with salbuuрун since childhood. The nomadic lifestyle of the Kyrgyz people allowed for the development of this activity; there were always taigans near the yurt, and a bow hung inside the dwelling. Just imagine, a person rides a horse with a bow, a taigan races on the ground, and a bird of prey soars in the sky – it’s incredibly thrilling.
- Why is salbuuрун considered a sport?
- It’s because the hunter must be in excellent physical shape. It’s not easy to ride a horse and hold a bird of prey on your arm; you also have to run over rough terrain. A hunter is a good warrior, as he is in excellent shape. Every sport has its history, and nomadic peoples raised their children, teaching them to hunt from a young age. By the age of eleven, they could already shoot a bow and distinguish between different types of birds of prey. I was interested in salbuuрун even before entering university; I read a lot of literature and was aware of folk traditions from childhood. After graduating, I began to think seriously about it. That’s when I managed to present salbuuрун as a sport. I often travel to various countries, and taking into account international experience, I developed regulations to align with foreign conventions. We even prepared standards for the title of Master of Sports of the KR, and in 2016, salbuuрун will be included in the program of the World Nomad Games. There are organizations for falconers and dog breeders, archers around the world. We plan to attract them to this sport from many different countries. This is a national sport, as clear competition rules have already been developed.
- Your festivals with the same name are known in many countries...
- Previously, we mainly held festivals in the Issyk-Kul region, but in the last two years, we have expanded to Talas and Naryn, and we also organize events in the Chui Valley. We are trying to reach the southern regions. Last year, for the first time, the republic championship was held at the "Ak Kula" racetrack, and we plan to hold it in the capital in 2016 as well. We have been conducting the "Salbuuрун" festival since 2006, and for three years now, we have been organizing international competitions. Guests come to us from Arab countries, Kazakh clubs, representatives from Turkmenistan, Mongolia, and Turkey. The president of the World Falconry Society even visited us. High-profile guests fly in from South Africa and Ireland. Now we are raising worthy youth.
- Could you introduce our readers to the rules of competitions with birds of prey?
- First of all, I would like to note that in competitions, we do not engage in animal baiting, and we only use dummies. It is illegal to torture animals in front of an audience.
As I mentioned, salbuuрун is a complex competition. "Borkot salu" translates to hunting with a golden eagle. The team consists of six people: one leader and five berkutchis, or hunters with eagles. According to the rules, participants test their eagles in two exercises, "Chyrga" and "ondok."
"Chyrga" - here, each berkutchi releases their eagle towards a dummy made from fox skin, which the rider pulls along behind them. According to the requirements, the eagle must reach the moving dummy at a medium speed and catch it. Time and speed of the bird's flight are evaluated. This exercise determines the training level of the eagle. According to the rules, the hunter can release their eagle only once.
"Ondok" - in this competition, the eagle is placed 200 meters away. At the judge's signal, the hunter begins to call their eagle while holding bait in their hands. Here, the time it takes for the eagle to reach the berkutchi's hand is evaluated. Each participant is allowed to call their eagle once, either standing on the ground or riding a horse. Participants must wear national clothing and, of course, have a passport for their birds of prey and an international veterinary vaccination certificate; additionally, there must be a certificate from the International Veterinary Organization.
There are also competitions called "Dalba," which involve the flight of a falcon on a lure. The team consists of six participants: a leader and five kushchu (falconers). In this type of competition, the speed of the falcon's flight is evaluated by launching it at the lure. Each kushchu is given two minutes to test their falcon. During this time, the bird must take off and simulate an attack on the lure, which the falconer spins on a rope. According to the rules, judges note how many times the falcon flew and simulated an attack on the dummy.
- It sounds incredibly exciting, and what about the taigans' trials...
- "Taigan jarysh" is a race for greyhounds. The team also consists of six people: a leader and five dog handlers. The dog's agility is determined by its speed over a distance of 350 meters. The dogs chase a dummy made from fox or hare skin, which the rider pulls along at a speed of 60-65 km/h, or the dummy is pulled by a special device. Judges evaluate the time it takes for the dogs to finish first. At the judge's signal, five dogs are released simultaneously each time.
- And of course, I would like to know about the rules of one of the most beautiful types - archery...
- Yes, that's right. "Zhaa atu" is shooting with a traditional bow. Here, teams of six compete: five foot archers and one leader. The archer shoots at a stationary target "Tekebuta" (depicting a mountain goat) from a distance of 35 meters, measuring 60 x 100 cm. Shooting is conducted in six rounds of five shots from different starting positions. This type is certainly different from Olympic archery, both in the participant's positions and the bow itself. I even opened my own workshop for making traditional bows. Competitions are held in the usual classic stance – facing the target, turned back, from a classic stance, and sitting on one knee facing the target. There are also competitions in archery on horseback at full gallop.
- Tell me, are there many enthusiasts of this sport in the republic?
- Mostly, there are many dog handlers. There are fewer berkutchis, as keeping a bird of prey is quite difficult; it needs to be fed fresh meat daily and given milk. This is very expensive. We have about 50 berkutchis, but half of them are good professionals, while others keep them more for tourism. We invite foreigners for real hunting, and therefore the number of fans of this sport is growing every time. I am confident that in time, salbuuрун will become one of the most popular sports. Of course, for now, this sport is not as popular as football and kok-boru, but we will definitely find our niche; it just takes time. Salbuuрун will become one of the most popular sports, as it includes such an ancient activity as hunting.
Without a doubt, salbuuрун is one of the most spectacular and beautiful sports, which, thanks to enthusiasts like Almaz Akunov, will not only be remembered but will also become a brand of our republic.
