Selected ethnic groups of Nepal;
Bhotia, Sherpa, Thakali
Gurung
Kiranti, Rai, Limbu
Newari
Pahari
Tamang

For other uses of the word Sherpa, see Sherpa (disambiguation).

The Sherpa are an ethnic group from the most mountainous region of Nepal, high in the Himalaya. In Tibetan shar means East; pa is a suffix meaning 'people': hence the word sharpa or Sherpa. Sherpas migrated from eastern Tibet to Nepal within the last 500 years. A female sherpa is known as a "sherpani". Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 576 pixel Image in higher resolution (1298 × 934 pixel, file size: 100 KB, MIME type: image/png) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Demographics of Nepal... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 576 pixel Image in higher resolution (1298 × 934 pixel, file size: 100 KB, MIME type: image/png) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Demographics of Nepal... The Bhutias are people of Tibetan origin, who migrated to Sikkim, India and Bhutan some time after the 15th century. ... The Thakali ethnolinguistic group originated from the Thak Khola region of Mustang district in the Dhaulagiri zone of Nepal. ... Selected ethnic groups of Nepal; Bhotia, Sherpa, Thakali Gurung Kiranti, Rai, Limbu Newari Pahari Tamang The Gurung is an ethnic group from the Central region of Nepal. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Selected ethnic groups of Nepal; Bhotia, Sherpa, Thakali Gurung Kiranti, Rai, Limbu Newari Pahari Tamang Mankhim (Tample) of Rai at Aritar, Sikkim The Rai, also known as the Khambu, is one of Nepal’s most ancient indigenous ethnolinguistic groups. ... The Limbu (meaning: archer) or Yakthumba are an ethnic group that belong to the Kiranti group or Kirat confederation that includes the Rai and Sunuwar who are believed to be the descendants of the ancient Mongolian people and are still known as Mongolians in Nepal. ... The Newar or Newah are the indigenous group of Nepals Kathmandu valley. ... Selected ethnic groups of Nepal; Bhotia, Sherpa, Thakali Gurung Kiranti, Rai, Limbu Newari Pahari Tamang Pahari (or Pahaari) is a general terms for a range of dialects spoken across the Himalayan range, not limited to a single country in the subcontinent. ... The Tamang (also known as Murmi) are one of the several ethnic groups living in Nepal descended from Tibeto-Burman origins. ... Sherpa can refer to: The Sherpa people, an ethnic group in eastern Nepal. ... An ethnic group is a group of people who identify with one another, or are so identified by others, on the basis of a boundary that distinguishes them from other groups. ... Perspective view of the Himalaya and Mount Everest as seen from space looking south-south-east from over the Tibetan Plateau. ...

The term 'sherpa' (the preferred spelling with a lower case first letter) is also used to refer to local people, typically men, employed as porters or guides for mountaineering expeditions in the Himalayas. They are highly regarded as elite mountaineers and experts in their local terrain, as well as having good physical endurance and resilience to high altitude conditions. However, a sherpa is not necessarily a member of the Sherpa ethnic group. Minuscule, or lower case, is the smaller form (case) of letters (in the Roman alphabet: a, b, c, ...). Originally alphabets were written entirely in majuscule (capital) letters which were spaced between well-defined upper and lower bounds. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Native territory

A Nepalese Sherpa and his pack.

Most Sherpas live in the eastern regions of Nepal Solu, Khumbu or Pharak. However, some live farther west in the Rolwaling valley and in the Helambu region north of Kathmandu. Pangboche is the Sherpas' oldest village in Nepal, and is estimated to have been built over 300 years ago. Sherpas speak their own Sherpa language which in many ways resembles a dialect of Tibetan. They traditionally are traders and farmers, cultivating their high altitude fields of potatoes, barley, wheat and buckwheat. Some live near Namche Bazaar. The Jirels, native people of Jiri, are ethnically related to the Sherpas. It is said that the Jirels are descendants of a Sherpa mother and Sunuwar (another ethnic group of the eastern part of Nepal) father. In India, Sherpas also inhabit the towns of Darjeeling and Kalimpong and the Indian state of Sikkim. The 2001 Nepal Census recorded 154,622 Sherpas in that country, of which 92.83% were Buddhists, 6.26% were Hindus, 0.63% were Christians and 0.20% were Bön. Image File history File links Nepalese_sherhpa_and_pack. ... Image File history File links Nepalese_sherhpa_and_pack. ... Khumbu is one of three subregions of the main Sherpa settlement of the Himalaya, the other two being Solu and Pharak. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For the retail store chain, see Kathmandu (company). ... Sherpa (ISO/DIS 639-3: xsr) is a language spoken in parts of Nepal and Sikkim mainly by the Sherpa community. ... A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος, dialektos) is a variety of a language characteristic of a particular group of the languages speakers. ... The Tibetan language is spoken primarily by the Tibetan people who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering South Asia, as well as by large number of Tibetan refugees all over the world. ... Namche Bazaar Namche Bazaar (नाम्चे बजार−also Nemche Bazaar or Namche Bazar) is a village in the Khumbu region of Nepal. ... The Jirel (also known as Jiripas) of Nepal are both ethnically and linguistically related to both the Sherpas and Sunuwars. ... For other uses, see Darjeeling (disambiguation). ... , Kalimpong (Nepali: कालिम्पोङ) is a hill station (a hill town) nestled in the Shiwalik Hills (or Lower Himalaya) in the Indian state of West Bengal. ... , Sikkim (also Sikhim) (DevanāgarÄ«: सिक्किम  ) is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayas. ... Bön[1] (Tibetan: བོན་; Wylie: bon; Lhasa dialect IPA: [) is the oldest spiritual tradition of Tibet. ...

Traditionally (although not very strictly followed), the names of Sherpa men often reflect the day of the week on which they were born:

Sherpa porter carrying wood in the Himalaya, near Mount Everest

Appa Sherpa

The Sherpas contribute substantially to the economic growth and stability of Nepal. The velar nasal is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1944x2592, 1744 KB) I took this picture on my way to Mount Everest base camp on May, 2006. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1944x2592, 1744 KB) I took this picture on my way to Mount Everest base camp on May, 2006. ... See at the bottom of this page for other meanings of the word Sherpa. ... Perspective view of the Himalaya and Mount Everest as seen from space looking south-south-east from over the Tibetan Plateau. ... “Everest” redirects here. ... Image File history File links AppaSherpa. ... Image File history File links AppaSherpa. ...

Sherpas and mountaineering

Sherpas were of immeasurable value to early explorers of the Himalayan region, serving as guides and porters at the extreme altitudes of the peaks and passes in the region. Today, the term is used casually to refer to almost any guide or porter hired for mountaineering expeditions in the Himalayas. However, in Nepal Sherpas insist on making the distinction between themselves and general porters, as they often serve in a more guide-like role and command higher pay and respect from the community. (Often the generic term "sherpa" meaning guide is written uncapitalized, in contrast with the capitalized Sherpa meaning the ethnic group.) This list of explorers is sorted by surname. ... Perspective view of the Himalaya and Mount Everest as seen from space looking south-south-east from over the Tibetan Plateau. ... A porter carries objects. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Sherpas are renowned in the international climbing and mountaineering community for their hardiness, expertise, and experience at high altitudes. Many have speculated that a portion of Sherpas' climbing ability may be due to a genetically greater lung capacity, allowing much better performance at high altitudes.^{[citation needed]} It has also been suggested that one reason why they were widely used as porters is that they had fewer dietary prohibitions than most people of the region and were prepared to eat whatever was given to them on expeditions. Rock climbers on Valkyrie at The Roaches in Staffordshire, England. ...

Famous Sherpas

The most famous Sherpa is Tenzing Norgay, who climbed Mount Everest with Edmund Hillary for the first time in 1953. Tenzing Norgay (May 1914 – 9 May 1986), often referred to as Sherpa Tenzing, was a Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer. ... “Everest” redirects here. ... Sir Edmund Percival Hillary, KG, ONZ, KBE (born 20 July 1919) is a New Zealand mountaineer and explorer. ...

Two Sherpas, Pemba Dorjie and Lhakpa Gelu, have recently competed as to who can climb Everest from Basecamp the fastest. On May 23, 2003 Dorjie summitted in 12 hours and 46 minutes. Three days later, Gelu beat his record by two hours, summitting in 10 hours 46 minutes. On May 21, 2004 Dorjie again improved the record by more than two hours with a total time of 8 hours and 10 minutes.^[1] Pemba Dorjie is a Sherpa who currently holds the world record for the quickest climb up Mount Everest. ... Lakpa Gelu Sherpa born in 1969 is a climber from Jubing - 1, KhariKhola, Solukhumbu, Nepal. ... Everest Base Camp is the camp at which most expeditions up the worlds highest mountain start from in Nepal. ... is the 143rd day of the year (144th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 141st day of the year (142nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On May 16, 2007, Appa Sherpa successfully climbed Mt. Everest for the 17th time, breaking his own record for most successful ascents.^[2] May 16 is the 136th day of the year (137th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the. ... Image:ApaSherpa. ... This article is about the Alpine mountain. ...

Perhaps the most famous Nepalese female mountaineer, two-time Everest summiteer Pemba Doma Sherpa, died after falling from Lhotse on 22 May 2007.^[3] Pemba Doma Sherpa (7 July 1970[1]-22 May 2007) was the first Nepali female mountaineer to climb Mt. ... Lhotse is the fourth highest mountain on Earth and is connected to Mount Everest via the South Col. ... is the 142nd day of the year (143rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the. ...

See also

• Demographics of Nepal
• Tengboche
• Sirdar

Perched on the southern slopes of the Himalayan Mountains, the Kingdom of Nepal is as ethnically diverse as its terrain of fertile plains, broad valleys, and the highest mountain peaks in the world. ... Tengboche (or Thyangboche) is a village in the Khumbu region of eastern Nepal. ... A Sirdar is a Sherpa mountain guide who manages all the other Sherpas in a climbing expedition or trekking group. ...

External links

• Website on the Sherpas of Nepal
• Website of United Sherpa Association in New York

References

1. ^ New Everest Speed Record upheld. EverestNews.com. Retrieved on Feb 4, 2007.
2. ^ Super sherpa's new Everest record. BBC News (May 16, 2007). Retrieved on May 16, 2007.
3. ^ "Famous female Nepal climber dead", BBC News, 23 May 2007