Solokhumbu, located at
eastern hill region of Nepal, is the homeland of the Sherpas.
They are known as the mountain people as they are involved
in trekking. Because of their success to climb-up the
Mount Everest, they are well known in the world. They
communicate in their own dialect. They are Buddhist by
their religious belief. Lhosar, celebrated as the New
Year, is the main festival of the Sherpa. In addition,
Dumjee, Fangi, Yarchyang are other festivals. The main
food item of the Sherpa community is made from uwa-a wheat
variety. However, liquor consumption and food prepared
from potato are very famous among the Sherpas. The
Helambu Sherpa are believed to have migrated from Tibet
to Nepal around the 15th
century. The Helambu Sherpa are often confused with the
Solokumbu Sherpa because both groups are referred to only
as "Sherpa." However, each group is totally distinct from
the other, with different cultures and languages. The
language of the Helambu Sherpa is very similar to Tibetan
and they can often understand a simple form of the Tibetan
language. Their primary occupation is farming, but much
of their income also comes from tourism because of the
many trekkers that come through their area.
The economy of the Sherpas,
is related directly to the mountain environment. They
primarily live on field agriculture, animal husbandry,
trade and mountaineering. The people of Solu (relatively
in the lower and warmer region compared to Khumbu) grow
potato, barley, wheat , maize and others and trade them
in the nearby areas. The Khumbu Sherpas have limited pasture
of arable land and they primarily depend upon animal husbandry,
yak and sheep breeding. They produce different Yak derivatives;
including butter, cheese etc. Yak butter is used in making
the traditional salted Tibetan tea. Khumbu lies in an
important trade route to Tibet through Nangpa La (Nangpa
Pass). Namche bazaar is the main trading center in this
region. This gateway to Mt. Everest is prosperous and
it bustles with activities in the mountaineering and trekking
seasons. Its numerous hotels provide modern facilities
including various Satellite TV channels, public telephone
services and different culinary delicacies; the traditional
and continental. As the number of tourists and expedition
increases, the scope of these highlanders for the employment
as guides, and high altitude porters gradually increases.
This has helped quite a lot in their living standards.
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 10th time in 1996, an astonishing feat for any human
being that too without oxygen mask. Even collectively
, this ethnic group has the most climbers and record holders
atop the highest mountain.
