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World of the Sherpa
by Liesl Clark with Broughton Coburn
Photography by Liesl Clark
"For a foreigner, a Sherpa means someone who carries loads at high altitudes.
But Sherpas are actually all Tibetans. They are called 'People from the
East.'"—Jamling Norgay
The Sherpas are an ethnic group who live in the high mountain region of the
eastern Himalaya. About 3,000 of Nepal's more than 10,000 Sherpas reside in
the Khumbu valley, the gateway to the southern side of Mount Everest. Because
their physical prowess at high altitudes is unmatched, they are the backbone of
climbing expeditions.
Historically the Sherpas were traders, and yak trains still carry
buffalo hides and sundry items across the 19,000 foot Nangpa La pass to Tibet,
returning with salt and wool. The Sherpas are Tibetan Buddhists of the
Nyingmapa sect, and have drawn much of their religious tradition from the
Rongphu monastery, located at 16,000 feet on the north side of Mount Everest.
The Sherpas have, by and large, retained their traditional customs, even though
some villages have limited telephone service, and energy for lighting and
cooking. They grow or raise most of their food herding yaks, and planting
potatoes, which were introduced from the English gardens of Darjeeling and
Kathmandu in the 1800s. Yaks provide wool for clothing, leather for shoes,
dung for fuel and fertilizer, milk, butter and cheese. Potatoes, which grow at
altitudes up to 14,000 feet, provide the Sherpas with their dietary staple: the
main food eaten is Sherpa stew, "shyakpa," a meat and potato based stew with some
vegetables mixed in. Rice with lentils, which is called "daal bhaat," is also a
common meal for the Sherpas. Tea is the drink of choice, served in big
thermoses with plenty of milk and sugar already added. Each household brews its own
chang, which is a thick, rice-based beer.
Continue
Photos: (2) courtesy Jenny Dubin.
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© | Updated November 2000
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