Thame, a remote Sherpa village of roughly 50 households in Nepal’s high Himalayas, lies at 3,800 metres in a valley framed by snow-capped peaks and fertile slopes. Once known for its mountaineering heritage and unspoiled landscapes, the village was profoundly altered in 2024, when a catastrophic glacial lake outburst flood tore through the valley. The surge of water and debris reshaped the terrain, carving the river into two jagged gorges and leaving widespread destruction in its wake. Beyond the visible damage and displacement of families, the disaster also accelerated a quieter loss: the dispersal of cultural knowledge, traditions, and communal practices that depend on a stable, rooted population to survive.
There were many Mani (carved scripture stones) here. They were all swept away. We did not perform any rituals for ten months. Only recently we resumed them.
Tara Sherpa, member of the community
Recognizing the power of cultural heritage in sustaining community resilience and identity in the aftermath of disaster, UNESCO initiated the project “Assessment of Living Heritage of Indigenous Community in Thame, Nepal, affected by GLOF”. Anchored in the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage ,the Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS) programme and 2025 International year of Glaciers’ preservation, the project empowered local communities, documented cultural losses, helped integrate traditional knowledge into climate resilience efforts, and raised awareness to safeguard their intangible cultural heritage in Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal.
Over the course of the project, more than 30 local stakeholders—including Indigenous youth, women’s groups, local government representatives, and monastery leaders (Lama gurus)—were engaged and capacitated. Through in-depth discussions, community members validated a draft inventory of eight Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) elements identified by experts in collaboration with local youth volunteers. These elements included ‘Tho’ (food and associated skills), ‘Kshara’ (traditional craftsmanship, skills, and technologies), ‘Nawa and Dee’ (knowledge about nature and the universe), as well as ‘Dhubchoa’, ‘Mani Rildhup’, ‘Lhosar’, and ‘Lotok Bulo’, representing key social, ritual, and festive practices. The inventory is now progressing toward inclusion in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Nepal.
I believe that we must carry these traditions forward. For any discussion in the future about Sherpas, we should be able to say: this is Sherpa dance, this is what Sherpa people eat, and this is how Sherpa people farm.
Angdamu Sherpa, member of the community
READ MORE: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/after-catastrophe-himalayas-unesco-and-thames-community-rebuild-resilience-through-living-heritage?hub=701
