Sherpa,also calledSharwa, group of some 50,000 mountain-dwelling people of Nepal;Sikkimstate, India; and Tibet (China); they are related to theBhutia. Small groups of Sherpas also live in parts of North America, Australia, and Europe. Sherpas are ofTibetanculture and descent and speak a Tibetan language divergent from that spoken in Tibet. Their language, calledSherpa, remains unwritten. The greatest number of Sherpas live inNepaland speak Nepali in addition to their own language; those educated in Tibet or in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries may speak Tibetan. Most of those whose livelihood depends onmountaineeringalso speak one or several of the languages of climbers and tourists.
The Sherpas of Nepal live in theSolu-Khumbu district, in the environs of theHimalayas. This area consists of two regions connected by the Sun Kosi River (a major tributary of the Kosi River): the Khumbu region, at an elevation of 12,000 to 14,000 feet (about 3,700 to 4,300 metres), with still higher pasturelands; and the Solu region, at an elevation of 8,000 to 10,000 feet (about 2,400 to 3,100 metres). The Khumbu region stretches from theChinese(Tibetan) border in the east to the banks of the Bhotekosi River in the west.
The name Sherpa (sometimes given as Sharwa, which better reflects how the people pronounce their name) means “easterner,” making reference to their origins inKhams, eastern Tibet. They began to migrate in the 15th century, making a living for many centuries as traders (salt, wool, and rice), herders (yaks and cows), and farmers (potatoes, barley, and buckwheat). Most Sherpas belong to the ancient Nyingma, or Red Hat, sect ofTibetan Buddhism, but their practice is a mixture of Buddhism and animism. Sherpa culture is based on a clan system (ru). True Sherpa heritage is determined through patrilineage, and all Sherpas belong to 1 of 18 clans and bear a clan name.
The term Sherpa in its most recent sense refers to a variety of ethnic groups in the region who have exhibited excellentmountaineeringand trekking skills. These “Sherpas,” a great number of whom are indeed ethnic Sherpas, have been essential to the ascents of various mountains of the Himalayas. Until the 20th century and despite their apparent propensity for mountain climbing, Sherpas had not attempted to scale the region’s mountains, which they viewed as the homes of the gods. Although they have since accepted mountaineering as a way of life,Sherpas retain their respect for the mountains and have attempted to prevent foreign climbers from engaging in profaning and polluting activities, such as killing animals and burning garbage, which they fear will anger the gods.
Notable Sherpa climbers include AngTharkay, author ofMémoires d’un Sherpa(1954), and AngTsering (Tshering). The famousTenzing Norgay, who reached the summit ofMount Everestin 1953 withSir Edmund Hillaryof New Zealand, was born in Tibet and hence was not an ethnic Sherpa. A female Sherpa, PasangLhamu Sherpa, reached the summit in 1993.