A complex set of social, political, and economic forces are set against Sherpa culture. First, the homogenization and Hinduization policy of the Nepali state sought to absorb minority ethnic cultures; modern school education does not accommodate study of local languages and scripts-or customs. Secondly, the Sherpa economy rapidly transformed from a dependence on trading, herding, and farming, to trekking and mountaineering after the 1950s. Trekking and tourism not only led to westernization but also encouraged migration out of the community. These changes have brought significant economic improvements, comfort, and financial security to many. The chief cost is the loss of cultural integrity, especially among the younger generation. I feel that we can have new things, learn new languages, and benefit from them, without losing our own language and identity.
This book, part of a larger drive to document and preserve Sherpa culture, is aimed particularly at educated, younger generation Sherpa, who have been deprived of the opportunity to learn about their cultural traditions and language. Many of them want to know more about their heritage. I am confident that future generations will not need to make a carved birch basin to wash their clothes or drink out of a wooden bowl. Yet the knowledge that these were the tools and techniques their ancestors used to survive in one of the world's harshest landscapes will enrich their knowledge, their lives, and their pride in being Sherpa.
**Contents and Sample Pages**
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Art (276)
Biography (245)
Buddha (1959)
Children (75)
Deities (50)
Healing (33)
Hinduism (58)
History (535)
Language & Literature (448)
Mahayana (420)
Mythology (74)
Philosophy (429)
Sacred Sites (110)
Tantric Buddhism (95)
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