Till the 19th century, the Sherpas—the word translates as 'easterner' in Tibetan—were an obscure hill tribe struggling to cope. Then three things happened, all of which connected to make Tenzing and the Sherpas international mountain stars. First, Sherpas won a monopoly on trade across their stretch of border with Tibet from the government in Kathmandu. They developed traders' skills: cultural flexibility, empathy and a friendly approach towards strangers. They also became wealthier.
Next, someone had the brilliant idea of planting potatoes, possibly donated from the British resident's garden in Kathmandu. For the first time the Sherpas had a food sufficiently calorific for the population to grow.
Finally, in the early 1850s, the peak that the Sherpas called Chomolungma was declared the highest point on earth and named Mount Everest.
When the first British mountaineering expeditions arrived at the start of the 20th century, Darjeeling was a natural starting point and the smiling Sherpas, the natural local guides.
Fifty years on, the world of the Sherpas has been transformed. Now, over 20,000 trekkers and hundreds of climbers visit Nepal every year. And Sherpa economy has switched from trade and subsistence farming to tourism.
Today, there are Sherpa doctors, dentists, airline pilots, businessmen and politicians. Other tribes like Rais and Tamangs work Sherpa farms and carry loads. Says Ang Phurba of the Nepal Mountaineering Association: "A good Sherpa can make maybe $2,000 in a season's climbing."
But the work is dangerous. Of the 175 climbers who have died on the mountain, more than 60 have been Sherpas. In the end, you can take the Sherpa out of the mountains, but you can't take the mountains out of the Sherpa.
