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Interesting things about sherpa The most famous among the Himalayan people are the Sherpas. Because of their impeccable mountaineering skills , they are an indispensable part of mountain expeditions as leader, guide and porter. As an individual or in groups , they have set records many ' firsts' in the mountaineering world. Due to their close affinity to Tibet, in trade, tradition and tongue, the Tibetan influence in their living style is quite distinct. They come, however, from Solu and Khumbu region of eastern Nepal , in the vicinity of Mt. Everest, along the Arun Valley, the Dudh Koshi river and its tributary areas.
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Tradition There are two distinct castes in the Sherpa society; the Khadev and Khamedu, the former having a higher social status. There are several clans eg Chhusherwa, Chiawa Gardza, Gole, Goparma, Hirgoma, Lakshindu, Lama, Mende, Mipa, Ngawa, Paldorje, Pankarma, Pinasa, Salaka, Shargup, Sherwa, Shine, Thaktu and others. Sherpa society is exogamous. i.e. a person must marry outside his or her clan. Fraternal polyandry is found among the Sherpas, that is two brothers may marry one common wife. However, if there are three brothers in a Sherpa family, the middle brother has to serve the monastery as a monk and for a family with four brothers, the group of two may marry two common wives. The polyandry which is also found in the most of the northern Himalayan ethnic groups, could have a common reasoning of the limited arable land available to them. This may restrain the family land being sub- divided into smaller units. The attitude towards is also relaxed in general. Polygamy, i.e., marrying more than one wife is rare.
Sherpas observe a number of festivals during the year. the important ones are losar and dumze. Losar is the new year 's celebration according to the Tibetan calendar. It occurs sometimes in the end of February. This singing, dancing, feasting time is rejoiced by all families. Dumze is interesting festival observed in the village ' gomba' or the monastery for seven days, sometimes during the month of July. The village lama conducts the rituals by worshipping Guru Rimpoche, Phawa Cheresi, Tsanba and other deities. While the villagers gather in the evenings at the gomba and enjoy eateries and drinks. Singing, dancing , and merry making being always the part of the occasion. Khumbu- hyulla, a local deity is always worshipped on every occasion. There is one occasion , Nungne, when people take solemn fasting or partial fasting for three days by laymen and for a fortnight by the nuns and lamas. People gather in gomba and recite the sacred texts. Those who can not recite the texts, they chant; "Om Mani padme hum". This is marked as a kind of penitence.
These famous highlanders of Nepal are always on the move; sometimes to the greener and warmer pastures southwards; sometimes to trade and sometimes to climb the mountain as a guide, a leader or simply a porter. There are many of Sherpas who have set records in the mountaineering world. Tenzing Norgay Sherpa with Sir Edmund Hillary, was the first to climb the highest mountain of the world in 1953. Ang Rita Sherpa, nicknamed ' the snow leopard' climbed the highest mountains for the 10 th time in 1996, an astonishing feat for any human being that too without oxygen mask. Even collectively , this ethnic group has the most climbers atop the highest mountain.
The name Mountain tiger(another word for sherpa) comes from a group of people known as Sherpas who inhabit the high altitudes of the Himalayan region along the borders of Tibet and Nepal.35,000 Sherpa of east and northern Nepal are Buddhists. Observing a faith of non-violence, they do not slaughter animals. Agriculture, trade, yak farming,and sheep rearing are their main sources of livelihood.The Sherpas are famous as skilled guides and are well known for their endurance and talent in surviving and navigating through the difficult Himalayan terrain.As heroic achievements are associated with dates 29 May 1953 is the day Sir Edmund Hillary and the late Mr.Tenzing Norgay Sherpa scaled Mt.EVEREST for the first time.Over the years, they have been crucial to the success of virtually every ascent of Mt. Everest.Continuing in the Sherpas tradition, Unlike some other people in Nepal, Sherpas are not orthodox nor exclusive; they are very hospitable and welcome guests into their kitchens and places of worship They belive on saying "Guest are God and God means every thing for them" Sherpa Culture Sherpa means "Easterner" and refers to an ethnic group that migrated to the Everest region from eastern Tibet some 450 years ago. But in modern times it has also come to mean any porter, climber or trek leader -- jobs Sherpas have been doing for about 100 years.
Traditionally, Sherpas have grown potatoes and raised yak for dairy products, hides, wool and load carrying. Working at altitude (Khumbu villages are at about 13,000 feet) has long been part of their way of life, but apart from a few sacred mountains, the peaks towering over them were not of much interest.
With the opening of Nepal in the 1950s, the number of Sherpas working in mountaineering increased, and the arrival in the 1970s of large-scale trekking made climbing and trekking pillars of their economy. From the first British Everest expedition in 1921, Sherpa strength, honesty and dedication have made them ideal companions on the mountain. Every Everest expedition since then has relied on Sherpa support. Many Sherpas have summited and many more have lost their lives.
International visitors to the Everest region have lasting effects on Sherpa culture. Sherpas sometimes emulate Western fashions and the mountaineering gear they receive from expeditions is state-of-the-art. In turn, many foreigners have been deeply touched by the Sherpas commitment to spiritual concerns and the compassion and wisdom that Tibetan Buddhism brings to their lifestyle.
Climbers and trekkers have also brought negative influences to Khumbu, including deforestation and litter. Recent years have seen renewed efforts to limit the impact of climbing and trekking on the local environment and culture. Efforts to clean up Everest Base Camp, once cluttered with detritus from past expedition, have left an almost spotless camp for future climbers.
One sacred Sherpa tradition often engaged in by climbers is a special type of puja (worship) in which butter lamps are lit in order to gain blessings from the gods. The EVEREST Film Team initiated one such puja at the massive Buddhist stupa of Boudnath in Kathmandu. There, 25,000 golden flames lit the black night, a sign of good fortune for the expedition.
Some 40 Sherpas assisted the EVEREST Film Expedition: cooking at Base Camp, carrying the IMAX® camera to the summit and everywhere in between.
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