II THE STEPPES

KHALKH - Mongolia, 2007
The steppes of Mongolia are slowly emptying. By now, half of the original nomadic population is living in one of the cities. The capital Ulaanbaatar is in fact unable to absorb the influx. At the city’s edges enormous outskirts form, made up of gers (felt tents) and simple houses. Increasing numbers of shepherds are abandoning their nomadic existence and are moving into town. Naadam is an annual festival in Mongolia. It is celebrated in the whole country but is the largest in Ulaanbaatar. The three most important Mongolian sports, horse-riding, wrestling and archery, form the basis of Naadam. The closing wrestling match in the capital is the most important Mongolian sports event. Five hundred and twelve wrestlers fight through a process of elimination for the honour of the titles of Falcon, Elephant and Lion.

KAZAKH - Mongolia, 2004, 2007
The Kazakh are the largest minority in Mongolia. They live mainly in West Mongolia. The Kazakh are Muslims, unlike the Khalkh, who are Buddhists. Under Communist rule, the Kazakh in Mongolia managed to keep their traditions relatively intact. Bayamandai is posing with his five-year-old eagle. The Kazakh are so-called burket, eagle hunters, who train the predator birds to fly out from their arm to catch hares, foxes and even wolves. After five years of loyal service, the birds are usually set free again.