What is a Sherpa?
Learn more about Sherpas
You may think that Sherpa refers to "your personal slave" or your backpack
carrier, or some other helper word. NOT TRUE. Sherpas are an actual ethnic
group with their own culture and traditions. Sherpas are members of
the Himalayan people and most live high in the mountains between Nepal
and Tibet, but in recent years some have actually moved away and live in
United States and Europe.
Sherpas speak a kind of unique Tibeto-Burman language
that is not understood by other people living in Tibet.
Sherpa literally means "people from the east" and they have been in the
Himalayas since the 1500s, but have received most notice in the last century
because of Mt. Everest expeditions employing these nice Buddhists people.
Sherpas know the mountains very well, can carry their own bodyweight and
have adapted to the higher altitude. These things make them perfect guides
to help
climbers from all over the world who want to reach the top of the world
without having to carry their own supplies and who don't know exactly where
to go. Without Sherpas they would probably never make it.
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