Bürkit-Togoo

The bürkit-togoo (Iradi: bürküt togoo) is the heavy leather gauntlet worn by eagle hunters (berkutchi) to protect the hand and forearm from the talons of a golden eagle (see Burkut Saluu).^[1]

The gauntlet is made of several layers of thick cowhide or goat leather and lined with felt or sheep's wool, and it reaches nearly to the elbow. Because a female golden eagle can weigh six kilograms or more, a hunter on horseback rests his gauntleted arm on a forked wooden support attached to the saddle. Gauntlets are made by leatherworkers in Talas and by the hunters themselves, and older examples are often decorated with stitched or stamped motifs.^[1]

References

1. ^ Talas State University Press (2015). Silver and Leather: The Saddlers of Old Talas, pp. 111–124.