The Other Side of the Mountain

The Sherpas of the Khumbu region look affluent, but they might not all be rolling in money.

Almost everyone has heard of the Sherpas through the literature of mountaineering and adventure. Foreigner visitors to Sherpa country are impressed by the size of the homes, the tourist facilities, as well as the well-maintained religious monuments and gumbas. If the Himalayan valleys are generally poverty-stricken, is this "the other side of the mountain"?

While it is true that Sherpas have managed to more than survive in the forbidding environment of the Khumbu (which was uninhabited before they arrived), the image of affluence one observes along the trekking routes, such as at Namche Bazaar, is not entirely real.

As a people, the Sherpas have probably managed to survive in the Khumbu because of their diversified economy. They also made the best of opportunities to earn wages by migrating to Darjeeling or working in trekking in their homeland. However, "hill poverty" did exist during the early part of this century due to the sub-division of land parcels. Inherited plots became too small to support growing families, many of whose members were forced to migrate, primarily to Darjeeling.

Traditionally, most families owned a couple of head of livestock such that their crops of buckwheat, barley and later potatoes were supplemented by dairy products, occasionally in surplus. Another product of herding, the progeny of crossing yaks and cattle, was also an important commodity in the trade between Khumbu and Tibet. However, in 1957, only 17 of 108 households in Khumjung village were involved in herding to the extent that it involved seasonal migrations to pastures. The rest of the people could not own enough livestock to make moving their herd necessary.

Trade with Tibet brought many Sherpas additional opportunities. When they had cash to invest, once a year, they would purchase a load of salt and carry it ever the frontier pass into Tibet. However, the lack of investment capital limited the role of Sherpas as middle-men in the larger trade between Tibet and India to a few families. These families achieved a degree of affluence rarely found in the mountain regions of Nepal except, perhaps, among the Thakalis of the Kali Gandaki.

Tourism has also, in the past twenty years, brought some families wealth and many others opportunities to supplement their income. However, the wealthy Sherpas conspicuous in Kathmandu may not necessarily be representative of their ethnic group.

Inflation in Khumbu has made it imperative that households have cash at hand, unless a family has considerable "old wealth" from trading. Most families must have a means of earning cash, and tourism is one way. Families without a cash income are caught in a bind when it comes to purchasing rice, millet, cooking oil and kerosene. These days, the cost of constructing a simple Sherpa home able to withstand a Khumbu winter costs between one to two lakh rupees.

The factors which have caused galloping inflation in the Solu-Khumbu District are multiple. Tourism is the usual scapegoat. However, a massive flood in 1986 that damaged trails and bridges. and the trade difficulties with India have also had lasting effects on prices at the weekly bazaar in Namche.

There are different sides to poverty in Khumbu. While a few Sherpas drink beer, others find it harder and harder to eat more than just potatoes.

Klatzel has had a long association with the Sherpas and also works as a trekking guide.