18 June 2026 – ALTAI: Hunters and Herders of Mongolia

Description

A talk with British photojournalist Claire Thomas, creator of ALTAI: Hunters and Herders of Mongolia inviting us into the highlands, homes, and hearts of ethnic Kazakh herders.

In the Bayan-Ölgii province of western Mongolia, the land and climate shape the rhythm of daily life, and traditions are practised, not merely preserved. Horses, once ridden by Mongolian warriors across frontiers and battlefields in the time of Genghis Khan, remain the anchors of nomadic existence. For centuries, they have also been inseparable from eagle hunting, with horse, bird, and hunter moving together in symbiosis, each with a role refined and perfected over generations. The eagle, the eye in the sky. The horse, the heartbeat that carries hunter and tradition across the landscape.

ALTAI is, in many ways, a family album, reflecting a universal truth. Whether in a ger high in the Mongolian mountains or a cosy home in the photographer’s native Welsh countryside, people share the same desire to love, honour their past, and find meaning in community. But this work is also a record of a transforming way of life. Thomas’s photography pays tribute to ancient practices and living heritage, as communities navigate the challenges of climate change and rural-to-urban migration, adapting to a changing world while striving to sustain their traditions.