Rumsu Village

Rumsu is a small village on the steep slopes of a Himalayan valley, where houses and settlements are scattered across the hillside. Life is simple and closely knit; in a hard winter landscape, social support is the key to survival.

The houses share one language: sloping slate roofs, staggered to shed snow and keep out wind, and walls of stone and timber. That language is Kath-Kuni (from kath, wood, and kuni, corner), a building tradition that uses local materials and simple tools, and has stood up to earthquakes and harsh weather for centuries. Livestock live on the ground floor and their heat rises to the rooms above; grain is stored at the top. Low ceilings and small windows hold warmth in, houses face the sun on south-facing slopes, and upper-floor balconies catch the warm air rising from the ground.