Sherpa

Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Acronyms, Wikipedia.

Sherpa

a member of a people of Mongolian origin living on the southern slopes of the Himalayas in Nepal, noted as mountaineers

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Sherpa

a nationality living in India and eastern Nepal, in the region of Chomolungma (Mount Everest). According to a 1975 estimate, there are approximately 25,000 Sherpa in India and 25,000 in Nepal. Their language belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family. The predominant religion is Buddhism.

The Sherpa are descendants of Tibetans who migrated south of the Great Himalayas in the Middle Ages. Those in Nepal engage in yak raising and the cultivation of potatoes and oats; in the past they were intermediaries in trade between Nepal and Tibet. The Sherpa in India work mainly as merchants or as porters and guides for mountain-climbing expeditions. The Sherpa live in rural communities and are divided into 18 exogamous clans, each of which is known as a ru; the small monogamous family is prevalent, but polyandry and, less often, polygyny are still practiced to some extent.

REFERENCES

Narody Iuzhnoi Azii. Moscow, 1963.
Stoner, C. Sherpy i snezhnyi chelovek. Moscow, 1958. (Translated from English.)

Mentioned in ?

References in periodicals archive ?

But Nepal Mountaineering Association ex-president Ang Tsering Sherpa said: "Long spells above the death zone increase risk of frostbite, altitude sickness and death."

Brit Everest climber dies; QUEUES TO SCALE PEAK BLAMED

When the Sherpas come down, then they can bring his body down," he said.

Climbers die on Mount Everest

While operators like Asian Trekking led by Sherpa and others have been trying to find a way out, it is unlikely the Nepal government will put a cap on the number of climbers since the permits give them a revenue windfall, said Fernandez.

'I did say that May 22 looked too dangerous to climb -- but nobody listened'

Additionally, we chose to become an investor in CULedger due to its promise to deliver innovative digital experiences and open platforms to the credit union industry, said Sherpa Technologies President/CEO Keith Riddle.

CULEDGER INTEGRATES ID-PAL WITH MYCUID

"We are extremely excited for what Sherpa brings to the PCI business," said Salim Haffar, chief executive officer of PCI.

PCI Pharma to Acquire Sherpa Clinical Packaging: Sanofi restructures two global business units

Sherpa Clinical Packaging provides clinical trial material management services for clinical studies phases I-IV, including packaging, labeling, distribution, storage and returns and destruction services.

PCI Pharma Services to Acquire Sherpa Clinical Packaging

Headquartered in San Diego, CA, Sherpa provides clinical trial material management services for clinical studies phases I-IV, including packaging, labeling, distribution, storage and returns and destruction services.

Sherpa Clinical Packaging to be purchased by PCI Pharma Services

'Two months of hard work has finally paid off,' team leader Sherpa said, adding that the ordeal showed that a successful ascent was possible.

Two Pakistani mountaineers, among 31 others, conquer K2 peak

Ricky Munday made it to the top of the 8848m mountain with help from his Sherpa Phurba.

Everest climber's grim find

The Everest industry is suffering from a dangerous shortage of its most important resource: experienced Sherpa guides.

Sherpa shortage takes a toll on Everest

A VETERAN Sherpa guide has scaled Mount Everest for the 22nd time, setting the record for most climbs of the world's highest mountain, officials said.

Sherpa's record Everest climb; WORLD BULLETINS

A veteran Sherpa guide has scaledMount Everestfor the 22nd time, setting the record for most climbs of the world's highest mountain, officials said.

Sherpa breaks record for most climbs of Mount Everest as he scales peak for record 22nd time aged 48; Veteran Sherpa guide Kami Rita reached the summit of Mount Everest on Wednesday morning and is now safely descending, according to government officials at base camp