Settlement in the Dry Zone is dependent on water supply. Yalman lists four types of Dry Zone villages. The second type is located near mountain streams, which run for a large part of the year. The third type is dependent entirely on rainfall, and the fourth depends on chena cultivation and some hunting to survive. The size and wealth of these villages are in direct proportion to the permanence of the water supply.
Villages consist of walled compounds containing dwellings, vegetable gardens, and fruit trees.
The household, defined as a commensal unit, is also called a ge and is usually composed of a single nuclear family. It has its own separate granaries and cooking facilities. Villages also contain religious shrines, water sources, and agricultural fields. Large, low-caste groups are frequently found in their own named hamlets, physically separated from the main village. Social relations between villages are structured by a complex set of caste and subcaste relations and obligations.