ALTAI: Hunters and Herders of Mongolia
Claire Thomas, 18 June 2026 15.00 BST Online
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.
Claire Thomas is an award-winning Welsh photojournalist, fine art photographer, and writer. Her work focuses on visual storytelling that explores conflict, social justice, cultural heritage, and the ways people live in connection with their environments and animals. She is particularly drawn to documenting traditional ways of life shaped by the rhythms of the natural world, an interest that has taken her to some of the most remote and resilient communities on Earth.
Her photojournalism has documented armed conflict, displacement, human rights, and environmental injustice. Her work has appeared in internationally acclaimed publications, and her fine art prints are held in private and institutional collections worldwide. In recent years, her focus has shifted towards long-term documentary projects exploring cultural identity, continuity, and change.
ALTAI: Hunters and Herders of Mongolia
Claire’s first book is the result of more than six years documenting Kazakh eagle hunters and herding families in western Mongolia. ALTAI is a journey into a vanishing way of life, where every image tells a story of resilience, reverence, and the profound connection between humans, animals, and the land they share. Discover a culture at the edge of the world – and at the edge of transformation. The book is a tribute to beauty, survival, and the fragile threads of heritage.
This book is published by Hemeria and is available to purchase on their website.
