Scrambling for a Sheep
叼羊
Scrambling for a sheep is a traditional game on the horseback of the brave Kazaks. It is not only a breath-taking game of the Kazaks, but also a competiton of the courage and power, a competition of the horsemanship. It is usually held in festival seasons. Two reasons for the game, one is to celebrate the year's harvest in livestock husbandry and wish to have a production increase in the following year. The other is to encourage raising the horses carefully, cultivating excellent horses, tempering the brave horsemen, improving the tactics on the horse, developing the livestock husbandry and promoting the national construction.
叼羊是英勇的哈萨克族人传统的马上游戏。叼羊，不仅是哈萨克族牧民所进行的一项扣人心弦的马上游戏，而且是一种力量和勇气的较量，马术和骑术的比赛。一般都在节日期间举行。这一方面是为了庆贺当年牧业丰收，预祝明年牧业增产，另一方面也是为了鼓励牧民们精心饲养马匹，培育优良马种，锻炼英勇的骑手，提高马上走战术，发展畜牧事业，促进国家建设。
There are different competition types. But there are only three main ones. First is the scrambling for a sheep in groups. The sheep scrambled for should be cut off head first and got rid of viscera and put in the center of the ground. Each team consists of about ten athletes. When the host gives the order, the athletes of the two groups would rush away. The one who has a steed and is good at horsemanship picks up the sheep and runs aimlessly by putting the sheep under the pedal band or on the horseback. The others run after and scramble. After the repeated scrambling, the one who puts the sheep to the fixed place wins the game. The second is the scrambling for a sheep between only two athletes. The athletes from two different groups pick up the sheep and begin scrambling for or the third man holds the sheep and the two horsemen scramble when the order is given. The one who gets the sheep will win after the hard scrambling on the horseback. The third is the free scrambling. It means the one who puts the sheep to the fixed place will win with no division of groups and many people do it together.
叼羊的形式是很多的，但最主要分三种比赛方式：第一种方式是分组叼，被叼的羊要预先割掉头，扒掉内脏，放在场地中间。参赛者10人左右为一组。主持者一声令下，两队骑手急弛而去，马快且马上功夫好者把羊抄起提着夹在蹬带下或驮着，不择路地奔跑，其他人催骑追赶抢夺。经过反复的互相争夺，当某队最后把羊放到指定地点时，就算获胜。第二种方式是两人单叼，由两个代表不同单位的单骑者将羊抄起来开始叼夺，或者由另一个人拿起羊，让两个单骑去抓，发出号令后开始叼夺。经过两人奋力在马上拉扯争抢，谁最后夺到羊，谁就为胜。第三种方式是群叼，骑手不分队，多人策马争夺，以最后夺得羊并放到指定地点者为胜。
The object that the Kazaks scramble for is a goat. It is two years old or so with its head, feet cut off and the esophagus tied up. Sometimes it is soaked in the water or poured water into in order to make firm and tenacious so that it is not easy to be tom up. The athletes would band together first and sometimes it is only a contest between teams. Different jobs would be given to the members of the teams such as the scrambling to rush through the crowds, shielding the goat holder to escape and pursuance and block etc. They also use certain strategies and tactics. The game needs personal consummate skills and the excellent cooperation of the whole. In one word, scrambling for a sheep is a pretty valuable sport. But when the sheep is put in the fixed place it does not mean the whole sport finishes. The winner should throw the dead body into one house over the yurt roof. Then the owner thinks it is the greatest luck and the greatest happiness so he will organize the whole family to butcher sheep and boll meat and treat the guests warmly, who come to congratulate, with the shouzhuarous local food with mution and rice cooked together and cheese. Then they will sing and dance from night to dawn after the meal.
哈萨克族叼羊，用的是山羊，两岁左右，割去头、蹄、紧扎食道，有的还放在水中浸泡或往羊肚里灌水。这样比较坚韧，不易扯烂。参加叼羊的人事先都结成团伙，有的就是两队的比赛。每队都有冲群叼夺、掩护驮遁和追赶阻挡等分工，而且讲究战略战术。它既需个人娴熟的技巧，又要集体的密切配合。总之，叼羊是一项非常有价值的传统体育项目。但是，整个活动并没有结束，叼羊的胜利者，还要把叼来的羊尸，随意从别人家的毡房顶上扔进去，这时，毡房的主人就认为是莫大的吉庆和皆大的欢喜，便组织全家人宰羊煮肉，用手抓肉】奶疙瘩等上等佳肴，热情招待前来恭贺鸿禧的所有客人，待客人们奶足肉饱之后，又开始唱歌、跳舞，进行通宵达旦的娱乐活动。
Scrambling for a sheep is a sport of the heroes. There is saying, "Wrestling shows the power and Scrambling for a sheep reveals the courage". The strong and brave Kazaks love the game most. They herd on the great prairie all the years especially when they have to go to another place from the present grassland they have to fight with the bad weathers and the brutal wild animals in order to shield the livestocks. So scrambling for a sheep is the best exercise because it is either the competition of the power or the contest of the wisdom, either the competition of the courage or the contest of the horsemanship. The winner of the game is usually the skillful herdsman. When they look for the lost animals in the strong wind and snowstorm, they could bend down and pick up the one-hundred-jin-or-so weight sheep easily and carry them back to the livestocks on the horseback. Then excellent athlete in the game is respected and is called the "mighty hawk on the prairie".
叼羊是一项勇敢者的运动，当地有句谚语：“摔跤见力气，叼羊见勇气。”剽悍的哈萨克族牧民最爱叼羊活动。他们常年放牧在大草原上，尤其是转场的时候，为了保护畜群，经常要同恶劣的天气、凶猛的禽兽顽强搏斗。叼羊则是最好的锻炼，它既是力量的较量，又是智慧的竞赛，既比勇敢，又赛骑术。叼羊的优胜者多是放牧的能手，在暴风雪中寻找失散的牲畜，他们能把百十斤重的羊只，俯身提上马来，驮回畜群。优秀的叼羊手是受尊敬的，被誉为“草原上的雄鹰”。
The horseman who has scrambled for the sheep is proud and glorious. People will have a red silk ribbon draped over his shoulders and a big red flower pinned on his breast. And those who have had the meat of the sheep are proud and happy too. Because according to the customs of the Kazaks those who have had the meat of the sheep will avoid the disasters and have good goodluck.
叼到羊的骑手是自豪的，幸福的，因为，根据哈萨克族人的传统说法，吃了这只叼羊肉的人，不仅会避过灾难，而且还能交上好运。
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