{"id":1761270,"date":"2026-02-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1761270"},"modified":"2026-02-10T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T21:00:00","slug":"in-altai-photographer-claire-thomas-chronicles-a-time-honored-way-of-life-in-mongolia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1761270","title":{"rendered":"In \u2018Altai,\u2019 Photographer Claire Thomas Chronicles a Time-Honored Way of Life in Mongolia"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content prose-colossal max-w-none\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default entry-header is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"colo-post-featured-image wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1338\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/altai-3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"A photograph by Claire Thomas of a Kazakh man encouraging a large horse to leap over a stream\" style=\"object-fit:cover\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">All images \u00a9 Claire Thomas, courtesy of Hemeria, shared with permission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group post-title is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0bc941e6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h1 class=\"alignfull wp-block-post-title\">In \u2018Altai,\u2019 Photographer Claire Thomas Chronicles a Time-Honored Way of Life in Mongolia<\/h1>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-meta is-layout-flex wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-02-10T10:44:31-06:00\">February 10, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"taxonomy-category wp-block-post-terms\"><a class=\"category-books\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/books\/\" rel=\"tag\">Books<\/a><a class=\"category-history\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/history\/\" rel=\"tag\">History<\/a><a class=\"category-photography\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/photography\/\" rel=\"tag\">Photography<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/author\/kmothes\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name__link\">Kate Mothes<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-share-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing has-visible-labels has-icon-color is-style-logos-only is-layout-flex wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-is-layout-flex\">\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-facebook has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F02%2Faltai-hunters-herders-mongolia-claire-thomas-photography-book%2F&amp;title=In%20%26%238216%3BAltai%2C%27%20Photographer%20Claire%20Thomas%20Chronicles%20a%20Time-Honored%20Way%20of%20Life%20in%20Mongolia\" aria-label=\"Share\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tShare\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-pinterest has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F02%2Faltai-hunters-herders-mongolia-claire-thomas-photography-book%2F&amp;description=In%20%26%238216%3BAltai%2C%27%20Photographer%20Claire%20Thomas%20Chronicles%20a%20Time-Honored%20Way%20of%20Life%20in%20Mongolia&amp;media=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F02%2Faltai-3-960x642.jpg\" aria-label=\"Pin\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-ANtgWuNh\" data-rl_title data-rl_caption title><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tPin\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-mail has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#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\" aria-label=\"Email\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tEmail\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><button class=\"simplefavorite-button preset\" data-postid=\"469371\" data-siteid=\"1\" data-groupid=\"1\" data-favoritecount=\"0\"><i class=\"sf-icon-bookmark\"><\/i>Bookmark<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In the Bayan-\u00d6lgii province of western Mongolia, Kazakh Mongolians are the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/geography\/research-barcus\/kazakhs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">largest ethnic group<\/a>. The sparsely populated nation abuts the Altai Mountains, some of which belong to Russia and China and across which sits Kazakhstan. Over the past several decades, migration between Kazakhstan and Mongolia has increased due to changing political climates, trade, and tourism.<\/p>\n<p>For Welsh photojournalist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clairethomasphotography.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Claire Thomas<\/a>, this northern region\u2019s unique nomadic culture proved to be a veritable wellspring of astonishing encounters as she observed its 21st-century adaptations.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/altai-5.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469371\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/altai-5.jpg\" alt=\"A photograph by Claire Thomas of a Kazakh eagle hunter beside their golden eagle\" class=\"wp-image-469376\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<p>Forthcoming from Hemeria, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/hemeria.com\/en-us\/products\/altai-claire-thomas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Altai: Hunters and Herders of Mongolia<\/a><\/em> is a trove of intimate photographs chronicling Thomas\u2019 immersion in this part of the world. She captures indelible features of the Kazakhs\u2019 nomadic lifeway, experiencing everyday life in yurt-like homes called <em>gers <\/em>and participating in pastoral practices amid a vast grassland steppe, framed by rugged peaks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHorses, 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,\u201d says a statement.<\/p>\n<p>Horses are also an inextricable element in the Kazakhs\u2019 renowned method of hunting with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/articles\/kazakh-falconry-mongolia-golden-eagles\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">golden eagles<\/a>. The enormous avians and their caretakers forge a deep bond, continuing a centuries-old practice that\u2019s deeply embedded with spiritual significance in order to catch foxes, hares, and other mammals for food and fur. In <em>Altai, <\/em>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.<\/p>\n<p>Pre-order your copy on the publisher\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/hemeria.com\/en-us\/products\/altai-claire-thomas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/altai-6.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469371\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1337\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/altai-6.jpg\" alt=\"A photograph by Claire Thomas of a Kazakh eagle hunter on horseback looking over a broad plain\" class=\"wp-image-469377\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/altai-spread-1.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469371\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1445\" height=\"904\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/altai-spread-1.jpeg\" alt=\"A spread from the book 'Altai' featuring a photograph of Kazakh sheepherders\" class=\"wp-image-469383\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/altai-7.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469371\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"3031\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/altai-7.jpg\" alt=\"A photograph by Claire Thomas of a young Kazakh child holding a small dog, with sheep and other people in the background\" class=\"wp-image-469378\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/altai-2.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469371\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"3016\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/altai-2.jpg\" alt=\"A photograph by Claire Thomas of a Kazakh eagle hunter standing beside their horse\" class=\"wp-image-469373\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/altai-spread-2.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469371\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1445\" height=\"909\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/altai-spread-2.jpeg\" alt=\"A spread from the book 'Altai' featuring a photograph of Kazakh golden eagle hunters\" class=\"wp-image-469382\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/altai-4.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469371\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1343\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/altai-4.jpg\" alt=\"A close-up photograph by Claire Thomas of a golden eagle's talons\" class=\"wp-image-469375\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/altai-91.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469371\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1977\" height=\"2471\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/altai-91.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of the book 'ALTAI' by Claire Thomas featuring a photograph of a young Kazakh eagle hunter with their bird\" class=\"wp-image-469380\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"after-entry\" role=\"complementary\" aria-label=\"After Entry\">\n<section id=\"block-16\" class=\"widget widget_block widget_text\">\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#88caf0\" class=\"has-inline-color\"><strong>Do stories and artists like this matter to you?<\/strong><\/mark> Become a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/members\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"118516\">Colossal Member<\/a> now, and support independent arts publishing.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"block-17\" class=\"widget widget_block\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top member-benefits is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hide advertising<\/li>\n<li>Save your favorite articles<\/li>\n<li>Get 15% off in the <a href=\"https:\/\/colossal.shop\/\">Colossal Shop<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Receive members-only newsletter<\/li>\n<li>Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top member-options is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Join us today!<\/h3>\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-horizontal is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-crow-color has-verdigris-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/colossal.memberful.com\/checkout?plan=113464\">$7\/month<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-crow-color has-verdigris-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/colossal.memberful.com\/checkout?plan=113463\">$75\/year<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-crow-color has-chalk-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/members\/\">Explore membership options<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"20\" height=\"21\" class=\"wp-image-327872\" style=\"width: 20px\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/arrow-left.svg\" alt><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/aside>\n<nav class=\"navigation post-navigation\" role=\"navigation\">\n<div class=\"nav-links\">\n<div class=\"nav-next\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2026\/02\/amoako-boafo-portraits\/\" rel=\"next\">Previous article<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"nav-previous\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2026\/02\/pet-lamp-global-artisans-lighting-design\/\" rel=\"prev\">Next article<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>All images \u00a9 Claire Thomas, courtesy of Hemeria, shared with permission In \u2018Altai,\u2019 Photographer Claire Thomas Chronicles a Time-Honored Way of Life in Mongolia February 10, 2026 BooksHistoryPhotography Kate Mothes Share Pin Email Bookmark In the Bayan-\u00d6lgii province of western Mongolia, Kazakh Mongolians are the largest ethnic group. The sparsely populated nation abuts the Altai [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,270],"class_list":["post-1761270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-thisiscolossal-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1761270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1761270"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1761270\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1761270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1761270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1761270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}