Humkumari Gurung is a teacher at Annapurna Secondary School in Sikles. Beyond the classroom, she plays a key role in preserving the local heritage as the chairperson of the village’s Eco Museum. The museum showcases the lifestyle, culture, and traditional artefacts of the Gurung community. Gurung also leads the Museum Management Subcommittee, helping ensure that Sikles’ history is celebrated and protected.

Located in Madi Rural Municipality-1, the museum offers two features. Firstly, it provides an in-depth look into the Gurung community. Secondly, women are in charge of managing the museum.

The museum was established in 2014 with the support of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP).

Since its establishment, the museum has been managed by a group of 15 local women led by Humkumari Gurung. It falls under the Sikles Conservation Area Management Committee, which operates under the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP). Gehendra Gurung, the committee’s secretary, said the museum was entrusted to women because men hold most other leadership roles in the village.

The management subcommittee was formed during the establishment of the museum with Hum Kumari as the president, Jamuna Gurung as the vice president, Krishti Gurung as the secretary, Gesuba Gurung as the treasurer, and Nandakala Gurung, Hemadevi Gurung, Rupa Gurung, Ausuba Gurung, Kusma Gurung, Mensuba Gurung, Santoshi Gurung, Muna Gurung, Indra Kumari Gurung, Sita Pariyar and Lilima Gurung as members.

Among the 15 individuals, chair Humkumari, vice-chair Jamuna, treasurer Gesuba, along with members Hema, Ausuba, Rupa, Nandakala, Mensuba, and Kusma were employed at Annapurna Secondary School during that period. Concurrently, Man Bahadur Gurung, the chair of the Conservation Area Development Committee and now a member of the House of Representatives, along with the village leaders, entrusted management responsibilities to the teachers, believing that those in the education field would possess the necessary knowledge and understanding.

“Initially, there were eight to nine teachers on the committee. However, with some leaving the village, the number has now dropped to six,” reported chair Humkumari.

The committee consists of individuals aged between 30 and 50. The museum features traditional measuring tools like copper scales and musical instruments like flutes. Approximately 300 items relevant to the Gurung community are displayed, according to Museum Manager Krishti Gurung, who also serves as the sub-committee secretary.

She said all the museum’s materials were collected from the village through the initiative of ACAP and the Sikles Conservation Area Management Committee. A separate room on the museum’s second floor has been built in memory of Chandra Gurung, a conservationist from Sikles, and Mingma Norbu Sherpa. Both lost their lives in a helicopter crash in 2006. The room displays photographs and passports of the two from their travels, public appearances, and meetings with high-ranking officials in Nepal and abroad. In coordination with Chandra’s family, the museum has also preserved his clothes, camera, poems and songs, and the awards he received.

The building that now houses the museum was constructed by ACAP 23 years ago. It was initially used for meetings, photo exhibitions, and documentary and film screenings. In 2014, the Sikles Conservation Area Management Committee converted the building into a museum. ACAP provides an annual budget for its maintenance, while other expenses are covered through the museum’s entrance fees, said museum manager Krishti.

In the current fiscal year, ACAP has allocated Rs150,000 for painting the museum building. To enter the museum, foreigners are charged Rs150, Nepali visitors Rs50, and students Rs30. Many tourists also visit the museum to take photos wearing traditional Gurung costumes, which costs an additional Rs150. According to Manager Krishti, 2,039 people had visited the museum by mid-Falgun—the highest number recorded since its establishment. “In the past 10 years, we never had 2,000 visitors in a year. This time, we reached that number in just eight months,” she said. Last year, the total number of visitors was 1,700.