Moving forward with the past; Development can also be about embracing the past

Thanks to Rabi Thapa & Nayantara Kakshapati for giving us a platform on Nepali Times article. Buy a hard-copy issue or view online for the detailed article.

Launching Spirit of Place at the Summit on Jan 6th

Thank you all for joining us to launch the 18th Spirit of Place project for Thumki village of Eastern Nepal. The evening began a great discussion on the importance of expressing cultural history within the modern built fabric. It was a remarkable event with various guests from the government, the academic sector, non-profit sector, university students, architects, agriculturalists, artists and local villagers from Thumki. After the lecture by Travis Kutumba gave an amazing performance along with an exhibit of Spirit of Place Projects.

Special thanks to Nayantara & Bhushan (Photo Circle), Summit Hotel, Odegard inc, KUTUMBA and Spirit of Place for making this event possible.

Ode to the ancestral spirits; A structure on Thumki hill

We're back from a 4 day trip to Thumki/Namje villages in Bhedetar in an expedition to understand the cultural and mythical stories embedded in Thumki hill. After many hours of conversations with the shamans, the elders and the community we were able to grasp enough information to understand the deep respect to the ancestors and the sacred psychological position of the burial ground. The burial ground is a historic site that goes back to the initial settlement of the village over 250 years ago when the Magars moved from the West. In order to preserve this sacred place and commemorate the ancestral spirits, the Spirit of Place structure will be built on this ground to represent emerging of a new future from the buried past.

Today, as Thumki village is at a critical juncture facing immense pressures of urbanization, the structure will begin a bold new dialogue on creating modern structures and spaces that resonate deeply to the specific culture and ecology of place.

Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAP) Project

Welcoming new collaborators, Mr. Karma Bhutia, Non-Timber Forest Products Officer from The Mountain Institute, and Mr. Temba Bhote, an interdisciplinary field specialist. They will be initiating the MAP project on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Thumki village. Their work will consist of field trainings, seed provision and working closely with farmers to initiate cultivation of medicinal plants. The focus will be towards creating alternative livelihoods for farmers and connecting the production to their local markets. The project has a timeline of 5 years with an eventual goal of creating a market and local production center for different organic products within the village.