SHERPA mean ? A: Although westerners pronounce it Sher-pa the native Sherpa pronunciation is Shar- wa. Shar means east -- wa means person --- in Sherpa and Tibetan language. In Tibetan script, the word Shar- wa is spelled like this. The word Sharwa is also a relatively recent identifier. As the eminent Nepali anthropologist Dor Bahadur Bista remarks in his extensive descriptions of Nepals many ethnic and tribal groups Peoples of Nepal (Ratna Pustak, Kathmandu, 1967): Through the course of time the name Sherpa has gained so much currency that it almost acts as a tribal name, and it does in fact define a specific group of people. Before Sherpas were so highly publicized by mountaineering expeditions, they introduced themselves to other societies as Shar Khombo - i.e., the inhabitants of Shar- Khumbu. (p.162) Q : Who is the worlds most famous Sherpa? A: Historically, Mr. Tenzing Norgay of Khum-jung and Dorje-ling (Darjeeling) is the most famous Sherpa. Tenzing Norgay (Sherpa) was the first summiteer of Chomolungma on May 29, 1953. He is admired worldwide as an icon of Sherpa dignity, friendship, and courage. Tenzing Norgay (Sherpa) along with Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand received international fame when they were the first summiteers of the highest mountain on earth, Chomolungma (Mount Everest) on May 29, 1953. Photo: Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, returning from successful ascent of Chomolungma in 1953. [Tenzing Norgay is the father of SHERPA FRIENDSHIP ASSOCIATION past president Norbu Tenzing, of San Francisco & Darjeeling.] See nice biography of Tenzing by Bob Pierce -- and be sure to read Jamling Tenzing Norgays beautiful search for his fathers spirit in Touching My Fathers Soul : A Sherpas Journey to the Top of Everest We recommend the marvelous audio tape version, read by Tenzings son Norbu! Many expedition climbing Sherpas have become international celebrities in recent years, including Babu Chhiri Sherpa of Takshindu, who died climbing in 2001, and the beautiful Mrs. Pasang Lhamo Sherpa of Surkye (near Lukla) who died tragically after summiting Mt. Everest in 1993. The Tengboche Rinpoche (Ngawang Tenzin Zangbu) who is abbot of Tengboche Gompa in Khumbu, is another world-famous and highly respected Sherpa. There are certainly more famous Sherpas! Mrs. Lhakpa Doma Salaka-Pinasa Sherpa offers an interesting collection of prominent Sherpa men and womens biographies at nepalresearch. com/sherpa/sherpa_ biography.htm Q: How many SHERPAS are there in the World? A: According to Prof. James Fishers1990 study Sherpas: Reflections on Change in Himalayan Nepal about 35,000 SHARWA presently live in Nepal, India, Bhutan, & Tibet. The Royal Nepal Embassy quotes 100,000 as the total number of Sharwa people living in the Himalayan Region. (This figure is probably based on a broader definition of Sherpa.) Perhaps as many as 10,000 persons of Sherpa ancestry live in Sikkim and Bhutan. Many Sharwa live, work, and go to school in the cities of northern India. Approximately 5000 SHERPAS now live in the cities of Europe & North America. Q: Where do SHERPAS come from? A: As mentioned in James Fishers study Sherpas: Reflections on Change in Himalayan Nepal, the original SHERPA CLAN LEADERS probably migrated from Kham in eastern Tibet in the 1600s, perhaps under pressure of famine or feudal warfare. Settling mainly in the eastern Himalaya of what is now Nepal, SHARWA developed a unique Nyingma (Tibetan) Buddhist culture based on trade, animal herding, and subsistence agriculture. Lhakpa Doma Salaka- Pinasa Sherpa, Chhiri Tendi Salaka Sherpa and Karl-Heinz Kraemer offer a map of the Sherpas westward migration route, coming out of Kham , at their extensive Sherpa history site nepalresearch. com Q: Where was the old Sherpa kingdom? How did it become part of the nation of Nepal? A: Until the late 1800s, the SHERPA lands enjoyed relatively peaceful independence from surrounding warlords in Nepal and Tibet. (Barring constant attacks by horse-riding Tibetan bandits!) Although SHERPAS paid some taxes to outside lords, their own king- like tax-collectors (called pembu or gangba) ruled within. The old northern SHERPA capital was Na-bo-che in the northern territory of Khumbu. (top photo). Na = pasture, bo-che = great one. Naboche is the last great pasture for merchants pack animals before beginning the cross over high passes to Tibet. Sherpa pronunciation of Naboche sounds like Nauje. The Nepali name for the Great Pasture, which became also a marketplace due to so many merchants camping there, is Namche Bazaar. The old southern SHERPA capital was Zhung Gompa (bottom photo) in the southern territory of Shar- Khumbu. The Nepali language name for Zhung Gompa is Jun- beshi. (Jun = moon, besi= valley. There is a large Moon-stone in the center of Junbesi valley.) The Nepali name for SharKhumbu is SoluKhumbu. At the turn of the 20th century, under pressure of increasingly strong armies of the Kathmandu kings, SHERPA pembu began to pay large taxes to Nepal. (In other words, they paid tribute to King of Kathmandu. Until the country of Nepal was formed, Nepal originally meant only the principality of Kathmandu.) By the 1950s, after many smaller Himalayan kingdoms had been unified into the Kingdom of Nepal which was ruled from Kathmandu, most SHERPAS had become citizens of the new country of Nepal. The book High Religion by Ms. Sherry Ortner gives a detailed description of Sherpa history, as told by educated Sherpa lamas. For more good books on Sherpa culture, please see the Sherpa Books Section at the online Himalayan Bookstore.
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 08:31:32 +0000
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