Everest Region: Land of the Sherpa’s

  • Last Updated on Jan 28, 2024

The Sherpas originated as sever families who migrated from Eastern Tibet and settled uninhabited valleys in the Himalayan about 500 years ago. Their name “Ser-Pa” reflects those origins: ‘east –people’.

Table of Contents

The Sherpas originated as sever families who migrated from Eastern Tibet and settled uninhabited valleys in the Himalayans about 500 years ago. Their name “Ser-Pa” reflects those origins: ‘east –people’. The small group of families brought with them the rich traditional religion and literature of Tibetan Buddhism.

The diverse ethnic groups of Nepal reflect the landscape of this country which is only 880 kilometers long. India and Tibet (China) squeeze Nepal along the south slope of the Himalayas. Within 160 KM, the land rises from subtropical jungles to glaciated mountain peaks.

Sherpa People
Sherpa women shopping from Namche Bazzar

Where are Sherpas from?

Solo-Khumbu , the homeland of the Sherpa people, lies in the highest valleys among the icy mountain. It was unknown by the outside world until the Nepali movement first allowed westerners to visit the kingdom in the 1950s. valium get discount For several decades previously though Sherpa people had migrated in search of employment to British-ruled Darjeeling.

Sherpa men first work at a high altitude on British attempts to scale the great peaks in 1907 and have worked on every major Himalayan mountaineering expedition since then. Mountaineering praised the Sherpa’s friendliness, loyalty, and dependability. Epic Shipton was a British explorer of the Himalayan in the 1930s- 1950s. He described the Sherpas.

Naming Culture of Sherpas

Sherpa frequently names their children after the day of the week on which day they were born. Sunday In Nima and the following days are Dawa, Mingma, Lakpa Phurba, Pasang and Pemba. They often add the prefix “And” to the name (Similar to the English suffix “Son” or abbreviation “Jr”). You would call And Nima Nima for Short but never Ang.

The current Sherpa people mainly live in the Upper Khumbu (Namche – gateway to Everest Base Camp, Khumjung , Thame, Phorse, Pangboche,) and Lower Solu Khumbu (Junebesi, Phplu) regions. Which lies to the south of the Mount Everest region. Sherpas also live to the east of this area in Kulung. In addition, Sherpas inhabit the valleys of the Dudh Kosi and Rolwaling Rivers west of Solu-Khumbu. They are also found in the Lantang-Helambu region north of Kathmandu. Kathmandu itself has a sizable Sherpa population, while small numbers of Sherpas can be found throughout Nepal, even in the Terai. According to the latest national Census 2011, the population of Sherpa is 112,946. The famous Nepalese Sherpas who climbed Mount Everest; Tibetan: Chomolungma (“Goddess Mother of Mountains”); Nepalese: Sagarmatha (“Goddess of the Sky”), Elevation 8,848 m (29,029 ft) above sea level.

Sherpa Family
After quality time at the Everest submitter sherpa's guest house at Khumjung 

Famous Climbing Sherpas From Nepal

Tenzing Norgay- First-person climbed Mt. Everest;

Babu Chiri Sherpa- spent 21 hours on top of Mount Everest without bottled oxygen and climb twice in a single season.

Apa Sherpa- He climbed the mountain nearly every year between 1990 to 2011, 21 times.

Phurba Tashi Sherpa-He holds the record for the most number of successful ascents of 8000m peaks (30),

Kami Rita Sherpa- reached the summit of Mount Everest 24th times

Pemba Dorje Sherpa- climbed from Base Camp to the summit of Mt Everest in a time of 8 hr 10 min, the fastest ever ascent of the world's highest mountain.

Temba Tsheri Sherpa - the youngest person to climb Mount Everest.

Pasang Lhamu Sherpa- the first Nepalese woman to climb the summit of Mount Everest.

Chhang Dawa Sherpa-the youngest mountaineer to summit the 14 highest peaks

Mingma Sherpa - the first Nepali and the first South Asian to scale all 14 of the world's highest mountains and the first mountaineer to climb all 14 peaks on the first attempt.

Sherpa children from Everest region
Mini Sherpas

 

 

Rajendra Thapa

Rajendra Thapa

"Take only memories, leave only footprints' -Chief Seattle 

Namaste! Greetings from the Himalayas!! I am Rajendra Thapa, a promising and adventurous wanderer and a travel guide from the beautiful country Nepal. Nepal is a country duct between the gorgeous mountains of the gigantic Himalayas and the lost jungles of the Terai and also a home to multicultural people with various traditions. I am passionate about traveling, trekking, hiking, and photography. You can find my travel experiences and blogs on my Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
I was born in a small countryside full of greenery and fresh air on the lap of Ganesh Himal far from the city chaos. Growing up, I was always interested in exploring things,  places, people, and lifestyles, which developed into my career. Through the company Nepal Gateway Trekking Pvt Ltd. I am serving to share my knowledge, experiences, and guidance regarding various Himalayas base camps, jungles, cultural monuments, historical sculptures, and many more adventurous things to make your lifetime experiences amazing, after all, travel is all about having lifetime experiences with beautiful memories.