Whether learning how to hunt with an eagle from a young age or skillfully packing up their homes and moving four times a year, the people we are about to meet enjoy a life that probably looks a lot different than yours or mine. But it’ll be hard not to celebrate all of the unique ways humanity has found to thrive in this amazing world after you hear their story!
In a world where cities and towns hold the majority of our population, it’s probably hard for many of us to imagine a life where picking up and moving everything to a new place multiple times a year is the norm—let alone hanging out with a large raptor on the regular.
A lot of us love to put down roots in our man-made jungles, but on this edition of Saturdays Around the World, we’re getting an enlightening look at how a nomadic community in Mongolia, the Kazakhs, thrives as they travel through the countryside! Oh, yeah—and we’ll meet the giant eagles who come along with them!
Prepare yourself for an adventure that will surely challenge your definition of “normal.”
“We asked the eagle hunter, ‘Would he ever like to live in the city?’, and he said that he tried it for two years and it was too difficult.”
What’s “normal”?
Is it walking down the street to the bodega to grab a snack? Or how about heading out on horseback with an eagle on your arm to find fresh dinner? Depending on who and where you are, this answer can vary greatly—but one thing is for certain either way: however our families find a way to survive and thrive, there’s always something to celebrate!
Sorelle Amore, a photographer, filmmaker, and influencer, spent some time visiting a community of nomads living in the Mongolian countryside. Her resulting film is a beautifully intimate look at their ancient way of life!
(Plus, we get to meet a very small eagle-hunter-in-training and they’re the cutest!)
Find more content from Sorelle Amore by visiting her YouTube channel!
Dude… those eagles, right?!
For more on how relationships between human and bird-of-prey work, we’ve got you covered! Check out the following article from us for a closer look at the art of falconry.
A Celebration of Falconry, Shakespeare, and 1000 Years of History!
What do falcons, William Shakespeare, modern English, and ancient hunting techniques have to do with each other? The answer starts with the beautiful art form of falconry.
Read Article Watch Video Listen to PodcastThe Eagle Huntress is also a great documentary to watch to dive deeper into this tradition. It follows a 13-year-old girl as she trains to become the first female eagle hunter in her family in over 12 generations! Watch the trailer for The Eagle Huntress here!
The beauty in the difference!
It can be uncomfortable to step into another person’s life for a moment. But the most beautiful part of human existence is that none of us are doing it the same—we’ve all found our own ways to survive in this world! We all start with the same basic urge to take care of ourselves and our loved ones, and it’s amazing to see how many solutions have come from that!
How someone else lives their day-to-day life can seem completely different than the way you do, but that’s where the beauty is. If we were all city-dwellers, country-folk, or nomads, our species wouldn’t be as delightfully fascinating!
We each leave a unique fingerprint on the human timeline, and discovering how others thrive in this world helps us see the beautiful threads of commonality that hold us together!
After today’s video, are you seeing your own way of living a little differently? Maybe you’re really appreciating the convenience of the store down the street, or maybe for the first time, reconsidering the idea that your home is always in one spot. Perhaps, you’re feeling like it’s about time for a change of pace!
To find more stories of people living their best lives all across the globe, make sure you check out the rest of our Saturdays Around the World series!
As always, dear friend, stay open to new possibilities!
- Sam
Don’t miss out on a single article!
Enjoy unlimited access to over 500 articles & podcast that give you a positive perspective on the state of the world and show you practical ways you can help.
Notes:
- Sorelle Amore. “LIVING with Locals in Mongolia (Eagle Hunters, Nomads, Cities).” YouTube, 30 July 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyOh9zdGW5A&feature=emb_title. Accessed 12 Nov. 2020. ↩