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A little thread/rant on the casual misuse of the word "sherpa":
It's getting colder in the Midwest, which means I'm seeing ads for:
"oh so sherpa" jackets- @lululemon
"signature sherpa" pullovers- @LLBean
"cozy sherpa" sweaters- @OldNavy
Apparently, these refer to super soft clothing lined w/ faux-wool.
(spoiler: THAT'S NOT WHAT IT MEANS)
"oh so sherpa" jackets- @lululemon
"signature sherpa" pullovers- @LLBean
"cozy sherpa" sweaters- @OldNavy
Apparently, these refer to super soft clothing lined w/ faux-wool.
(spoiler: THAT'S NOT WHAT IT MEANS)
You might be thinking, "Yeah, that's right! A sherpa is somebody who carries heavy stuff! Or who carries a lot of stuff! Or carries stuff for long distances!"
(Spoiler again: You're also wrong.)
(Spoiler again: You're also wrong.)
Sherpa is the name of a Himalayan ethnic group that migrated from Kham in Eastern Tibet and settled in what is now Nepal/India/Tibet) about 500 years ago. The word "Sherpa" comes from "shyar pa" in the language of this group, which just means "easterner." http://www.cnn.com/travel/article/sherpa-facts/index.html
When British colonizers started trying to do dumb things like climb the highest peaks in the Himalayas, they discovered that Sherpas were better acclimated to the high altitudes, and so they began to depend on them for help. http://www.wupr.org/2015/02/09/exploiting-the-sherpas/
Many remember Edmund Hillary from New Zealand as the first person to summit Mt. Everest, but without the help and guidance of Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, he probably would have died before he made it. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/features/everest/sir-edmund-hillary-tenzing-norgay-1953/
Passang Lhamu Sherpa was the first Nepali woman to summit Everest in 1993. She'd previously made the trek supporting a French group. She could've reached the summit then, but was ordered down by a French man who said she was taking up too many resources. https://www.thelily.com/pasang-lhamu-sherpa-defied-societal-norms-to-climb-mount-everest-nepal-needed-a-hero/
In recent decades, many Sherpas have made their living by working as guides or porters for foreign trekkers and mountaineers. It's a dangerous - and sometimes deadly occupation. http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2014/04/22/305954983/who-are-nepals-sherpas
On climbing expeditions, which can cost foreign trekkers tens of thousands of dollars, Sherpa guides and porters are not offered sufficient protection. Supplemental oxygen and medication for altitude sickness are restricted, because they are so expensive. https://www.outsideonline.com/1928326/disposable-man-western-history-sherpas-everest
Many Sherpas died in the 2015 earthquake that devastated parts of Nepal. Entire villages in regions that Sherpas have called home for generations have been obliterated. https://www.outsideonline.com/2016856/oral-history-langtang-valley-destroyed-nepal-earthquake
Those who survived say that the landscape is permanently altered, which will continue to affect climbing, and the livelihoods that they have created for themselves. https://apnews.com/article/a144cae6d3c041348cc9399efa873a73
Sherpas have come to rely on tourism -- particularly in the form of white folks showing up to "conquer" the mountains that they call home. The least that we could do is recognize them properly, and stop using their identity to sell ugly clothes.
P.S. This thread was homework for @Sacred_Writes, where I'm expected to be #smartinpublic about religion. This isn't really a post about religion, but my pod-mates for this unit, @suzzzanna and @AmbreLynae, told me that this would be ok!
P.P.S. After talking about this thread with @suzzzanna, apparently she started seeing ads for a sherpa coat for her dog
