OK first off, before we get started, a matter of definition that grates every time a newscaster reading their script gets it wrong…. The word ‘Sherpa’ (big ‘S’) does not actually mean someone who carries stuff or any Nepali who happens to be up a mountain.
Just to clear up any confusion, the name ‘Sherpa’ refers to an ethnic group, hence the capital ‘S’. It is derived from “sher-wa” meaning “people from the East”, because the Sherpa ethnic group originally crossed from Tibet which is East of their now traditional homeland of the Khumbu area of Nepal. The Sherpa also have their own language, culture, and they are slotted into the mainly Hindu-Nepali caste system, en-mass. Almost all Sherpas have the last name “Sherpa” too. So if a Nepali, up a mountain, introduces themselves as Pasang Rai or Nima Tamang, they will be from the Rai or Tamang ethnic group rather than Sherpa. There are many Nepali mountaineers, guides and high altitude porters who are not Sherpas.
So, next time you hear someone say ‘Sherpa’, you can ask them if that is what they mean, or if they actually mean Nepali porter or Nepali mountain guide. When they stare at you blankly, you can educate them!
So, that’s the ‘Sherpa’ bit dealt with, now on to the ‘Super-Human’ bit.
For anyone who has been trekking in Nepal, the most immediately obvious example of this notion will have been seening local Nepali porters (not necessarily Sherpas!) achieving apparently unbelievable feats of strength and endurance by carrying extremely heavy, and sometimes extremely awkward, loads up steep and rough terrain. All of this at altitudes of up to perhaps five thousand metres, where the available oxygen in the air is down to 50% of that at sea level.
When stopping to catch their breath, half way up a moderate slope, weighed down by the grand total of a few kilos of camera, water and a few spare clothes, many a trekker can be heard to exclaim….
“Wow, look at that, that is really impressive, they are superhuman”
….or words to that effect. Perhaps taking a photo to preserve the moment and jovially applauding the feat.
This is a common reaction and made innocently enough. But let’s look a bit closer….
Fundamentally; No, that porter is not super-human – he or she is very much human.
This may seem like semantics, but it is an important distinction. They are often very highly conditioned through a lifetime of being physically active and probably many years of carrying heavy loads. Plus, most of the people from communities who have lived at altitude for many generations have physiologically adapted to altitude, and of course they are probably well acclimitised in any case.
But they are made of the same stuff as you or I.
There is a limit to what force a muscle of a given size can produce. There is a limit to what stress a bone or ligament can sustain. Pain and injury are universal. By labeling them as super-human, perhaps we are creating that ‘otherness’ that excuses us the empathy of imagining ourselves in their position. Instead of marveling, maybe we should be asking ourselves:
- What damage is being done to their body by carrying such huge loads?
- What pain are they in after a day of carrying that load?
- What pain will they be in every day as they age?
- What is the average life expectancy of a porter?
These are the same questions that would almost certainly have come to mind more readily had it been a mule or a yak carrying an apparently unreasonable load. Perhaps under the argument that an animal had no choice in the matter.
In the same vein, on one level it is impressive that they are moving that huge load over such difficult terrain, and usually with such tight-lipped resolve and lack of drama. But on another level, perhaps we should be asking why they are doing so:
- To what extent was porter-ing actually a decision of their own wider free will?
- What are their other employment options?
- What level of education did they have access to them as a child?
- How much are they being paid to carrying those two full sized sheets of half inch, 8 by 4 foot plywood weighing up to 35kg up a mountainside? How much would I expect to be paid for that?
- Why aren’t they carrying one 17kg sheet instead of two?
- Why are they wearing flip-flops?
- Do they have spare clothing? – What happens if the weather changes?
- Where are they going to sleep tonight? – Do they have a sleeping bag or blanket?
- Do they get enough calories and nutrition to sustain and repair their bodies?
Maybe next time we see a porter struggling under an unreasonable load, instead of remarking….
“wow, look at that, that is really impressive, they are superhuman”
Perhaps we should instead be asking ourselves all the questions above and saying….
“wow, look at that, why are they having to carry such an unreasonable load, I wonder what pain they are in and what damage it is doing”
Then instead of applauding and congratulating what you are seeing, find out about them and take an interest (perhaps through your guide) and make it clear that it you are interested in their well-being. And if it is a porter carrying excessive luggage or gear for a trekking or climbing group, ask them who they are working for then get in contact, ask some difficult questions and let them know that their organization appears to be working in an unethical and irresponsible manner.
As a paying client, you have the power to influence this.
To find out more about Adventure Alternative‘s policies on porters’ rights please see – http://www.adventurealternative.com/trips/page/940/porters_rights – and please do speak to us directly for any other information.
