In 'Altai,' Photographer Claire Thomas Chronicles a Time-Honored Way of Life in Mongolia

"For Welsh photojournalist Claire Thomas, this northern region's unique nomadic culture and proved to be a veritable wellspring of astonishing encounters as she observed its 21st-century adaptations. Forthcoming from Hemeria, Altai: Hunters and Herders of Mongolia is a trove of intimate photographs chronicling Thomas' immersion in this part of the world. She captures indelible features of the Kazakhs' nomadic lifeway, experiencing everyday life in yurt-like homes galled gers and participating in pastoral practices amid a vast grassland steppe, framed by rugged peaks."

""Horses, once ridden by Mongolian warriors across frontiers and battlefields in the time of Genghis Khan, are now anchors of nomadic life: bred for durability, agility, and a capacity to withstand the most freezing of temperatures as they transport households between seasonal pastures and help herd livestock," says a statement. Horses are also an inextricable element in the Kazakhs' renowned method of hunting with golden eagles."

"The enormous avians and their caretakers forge a deep bond, continuing a centuries-old practice that's deeply embedded with spiritual significance in order to catch foxes, hares, and other mammals for food and fur. In Altai, Thomas celebrates this time-honored custom, drawing our attention to an increasingly rare way of life that is inseparable from the land, where balance, compassion, and community are all-abiding."

Bayan-Ölgii province in western Mongolia is predominantly inhabited by Kazakh Mongolians and borders the Altai Mountains adjacent to Russia, China, and Kazakhstan. Migration between Kazakhstan and Mongolia has increased over recent decades because of shifting political climates, growing trade, and tourism. Intimate photographs document daily life in gers and seasonal pastoral practices across vast grassland steppe framed by rugged peaks. Horses function as essential transport and herding animals, bred for durability and cold tolerance to move households between pastures. Golden eagle hunting endures as a spiritually significant, centuries-old practice used to capture foxes, hares, and other mammals. The nomadic lifeway remains deeply tied to land, community, and compassion, and is increasingly rare.

Read at Colossal