Tourism and Western Influence on the Sherpa Culture in Nepal - Research Paper Example

The Sherpa Society Sherpa society could refer to an ethnic group who migrated from the eastern Tibet to theEverest region some hundred years ago. The word Sherpa simply means Easterner on the basis of their origin. It later developed to represent porter, climber or the trekker of the Himalaya Mountain. The Sherpa believed that the peaks of the Himalaya would be the homes of the gods due to this they could not climb (Haimendorf 67). They live on the southern tip of Everest and due to their skills in mountain; they became integrated with the history of Mount Everest. Traditionally, Sherpa eked their living from growing potatoes and wool spinning and weaving. They practiced high attitude farming in a region known as Khumbu. This was home for the Sherpa who practiced subsistence farming and animal herding in high attitude, for example, raising yak for their products such as hides, dairy and wool. The children would be sent to collects yak dung that would be used as a source of fuel. Women dug potatoes in the snow and this could be due to peaks could not be of interest to them apart from the few sacred mountains (Furze 24). The Sherpa became involved in climbing at around 1020s. This could be due to the mountain climbing expeditions planned by the British. This led to the involvement of the Sherpa in mountain climbing as they would be hired as porters. Mountaineering became the Sherpa’s culture around 1950 during the time Nepal could be exposed. Countless climbers began flocking at the Khumbu Village which was the Sherpa home and together with Mount Everest; it later became the Sagarmatha National Park (Haimendorf 72). Mountaineering and trekking business became the cultural phenomena of the Sherpa community. The Sherpa themselves acted as a tourist guide for Westerners and also as cooks and base camp staff. They would be referred to as porters which resulted from their ability to climb and assist the westerner in climbing the tallest peaks in the world (Furze 68). This became part of their culture as many of them welcomed the changes as it provided employment opportunities, which led to the increased standards of living and comfortable lifestyles. The transformation of Sherpa’s culture led to the development of the region such that they shifted from the previous harsh life to the prosperous one. This could be brought by the establishment of trekking and mountain climbing. Trekkers brought steady income, which could sustain shops and guesthouses owned by the Sherpa along the route, the porters, guides and cooks who assisted the tourist (Furze 70). Tourism through trekking and mountaineering could affect the Sherpa identify in both cultural and political circumstances. The western visitor could have brought western values believed to be higher or excellent as compared to the relatively impoverished host (Haimendorf 86). The existence of exchange of commodities and among the two different ethnic communities integrates the economic with cultural (Furze 75). In order to understand the consequences of tourism on the culture of Sherpa community, we should consider the changes brought by the economic growth due to the tourist economy and the lifestyle associated with changes. For example, the cultural practice could be influenced by the interaction of wealthy western customers (Mayhew 98). The tourism activities practiced among the Sherpa’s homeland, led to conversion of their lifestyles in different ways. The numerous changes to the Khumbu area affected their economy, environment, society and culture (Haimendorf 96). The Impacts of Tourism on the Economy of Sherpa Society Tourism activities in Khumbu area such as mountaineering and trekking boasted the economy due to the job opportunities and increases in affluence. Mountaineering was a significant source of foreign exchange for the Nepal government. Most of the Sherpa household depended on tourism as could be employed in mountaineering and trekking activities as guides, porters and cooks. The growth of the economy led to Sherpa of Khumbu shifting their roles as porters where they regarded the job status as inferior. They began tourism business and entrepreneurship where several lodges could be built to take care of the multitudes trekkers and mountaineers in the region. The lodges could be modified to the modern facilities where before herding huts would be used as lodges. The other economic changes that could be visible in Khumbu area would be the multiplier effect of money. The use of cash to purchase goods and services influenced the traditional method of barter trade. This led to inflation where some basic commodities such as lodges could be allocated high prices. The increase in food and fuel prices could be felt by those groups who could not get involved in tourism activities. The Impact of Tourism on Sherpa’s Land Use and Environment The transformation of economic development of Khumbu region, which could be triggered by the tourism, led to shift from subsistence agriculture in high attitude to tourism based activities. The Sherpa of Khumbu region concentrate on the tourism which resulted to the marginalization of the traditional subsistence agriculture. The adoption of the transitional or current agricultural system could be associated with internal and external social, political and economic factors. This led to the disruption of traditional practices such as planting and harvesting. The women played the crucial role through cultivation of land, but they would be faced by labor shortage as men would be involved in the tourism activities. Agricultural workers could be hired for the lower regions which increased the expenses of food production (Klatzel 56). Tourism also impacted significantly on the Sherpa’s culture of pastoralist. The people reduced the size of herds they kept as well as the composition. Traditionally, Sherpa kept female yak for their dairy products which could be cross-breed by the use of bulls from Tibet to produce Urang Zokpia, which could be sold to Tibet community (Mayhew107). The influence of tourism activities, where animals would be kept for their droppings and dung for fuel, would be used for transportation by the trekkers and mountaineers. The Urang Zokpia would be popularly known for this action hence it could be kept in large numbers, which increased the pressure on grasslands. This resulted to overgrazing due to intense degradation of pasture (Mayhew 112). Tourism led to the deforestation as demand for firewood increased as a source of fuel. This would occur during camp lodges where fuel energy from wood, would be used for heating, cooking and campfires (Mayhew 117). Other problems on the environment that could be associated by the tourism activities included the garbage disposal. Heaps of garbage around the camp site locations could be worsening as trekkers and mountaineers came in large numbers from the west (Klatzel 68). The Impact of Tourism on Culture and Lifestyle Tourism influenced Sherpa’s culture in that they could send their children to learn English in schools; the local people had access to health facilities such as the Himalayan Trust Hospital in Kunde which resulted to the reduction of mortality rates. The Sherpa remained resilient to their religious practices (Mayhew 123). They continued to respect Buddhism and expanded the monasteries due to the high number monks and families who came to perform religious ceremonies and rituals (Klatzel 74). The Sherpas society transformed politically in that men who worked as lodge keepers and expedition leaders evolved as political figures. Works Cited Furze, Brian. Culture, conservation, and biodiversity: the social dimension of linking local level development and conservation through protected areas. Chichester: John Wiley, 2005. Print. Haimendorf, Christoph von. The Sherpas of Nepal: Buddhist highlanders. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003. Print. Klatzel, Frances. Gaiety of spirit: the Sherpas of Everest. Victoria: RMB, 2010. Print. Mayhew, Bradley. Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya. 9th ed. Footscray, Vic.: Lonely Planet, 2009. Print. Read More