WeavingItTogether-L3 - C7

The Sherpas: Life at 10, 000 Feet
I
Discuss the answers to these questions with your classmates .
1. Are there mountains in your country? If so, what is the name of the mountain range? 2. What are some of the most famous mountains around
'slope: angle of a mountain 2 mountain sickness: a condition caused by low levels of oxygen in the air and resulting in nausea and breathlessness lporter: a person who carries bags and eqUipment
Chapter 7
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diet is the potato, which grows at altitudes up to 14,000 feet. Their main food is Sherpa stew, or shyakpa, a meal of potatoes and vegetables cooked in animal fat or butter, and some water. Meat is a rare treat that Sherpas eat only on special occasions. Sherpas live in houses adapted to their way of life. Their houses have two stories, are built of stone, and have flat wooden roofs weighted down by heavy rocks. On the first floor are the livestock. The second floor is the family's home. It is usually one large room with a wooden floor and a fire used for cooking and heating. There is no furniture to speak of in a Sherpa home. Drawers and shelves along the wall hold utensils, bedding, and personal effects. Platforms and benches are used for sitting and sleeping. Although most Sherpas work as farmers, they also have a history of being traders. For many years, Sherpa traders have crossed over the mountains to Tibet. Even today, yaks4 carry goods across the 19,OOO·foot Nangpa La pass. Sherpas are m ost famous, however, for being mountain guides and porters to foreign climbers. They served as porters as ea rly as 1907, but before then Sherpas did not climb Mount Everest. They considered it a holy place. To this day, Sherpas on an expedition up Everest perform a ceremony and leave offerings to the gods of the mountain. Sherpas became famous when Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary became the first men to reach the summit of Everest in 1953. Since then , many Sherpas have reached the summit of Mount Everest. In 1999, Babu Chiri Sherpa spent an unheard of 20 h ours on th e summit. He also raced up the mounta in in 16 h ours and 56 minutes. In fact, he went up Everest twice in two weeks. Sadly, like many other Sherpa gUides, h e died in an accident in 2001. The popularity of cU mbing Mount Everest has benefited the Sh erpas fi nanCially and drawn attention to their culture.
was first reached in 19237
Yes Yes
Yes
No No
No
2. Edmund Hillary together with Tenzing Norgay were the first to reach 3. the Sherpas are usually tall peot answers. 1. They live in
2. They drink 3. They eat meat 4. They grow
a. caves. 0 a. tea. 0
a . every day. 0 a. rice. 0
a. friendly people. 0
the world? 3. Where are the Himalayan mountains located?
Predicting
Answer the questions. Then compare your ideas with those in the reading. What do you expect the lives of the Sherpas who live at 10,000 feet to be like?
People
What Do You Think?
Answer the questions with your best guess. Circle Yes or No.
Do you think ..
1. the summit of Mount Everest the top of Mount Everest?
b. two-story homes. 0 b. coffee. 0
b. only on special occasions.
5. They are
b. potatoes. 0 b. not friendly. 0
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Unit 4
Reading
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Track 7
The Sherpas: Life at 10,000 Feet
4. at one time. African Americans could not attend a university in the United States? 5. the peanut has more than 300 uses?
Yes Yes
No No
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Chapter
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Pre-Read ing
The Himalayan mountain range in Nepal is home to 8 of the 10 tallest mountains in the world, including the highest: Mount Everest. Along Nepal's mountainsides and within its valleys live dozens of ethnic groups with separate languages and unique customs. Among these groups are the Sherpas, whose homeland is at the base of Everest. The Sherpas are a mountain people who originally came from Tibet. Their language is Sherpali. It is believed that they crossed the mountain passes about 300 years ago and settled in the Everest area . Their villages hang on the sides of steep mountain slopes! and are mostly connected by trails since there are few roads. Sherpas live at the highest elevations of a ll human beings-i n some areas between 10,000 and 14,000 feet! The Sherpas have unique physical cha racteri stics. They a re typically short and stocky. They are able to live in the thin air of high al titudes without su ffering from mountain sickness. z Their physical aptitude at high altitudes is legendary. European climbers have recounted tales of Sherpas carrying loads of 80 pounds at 18,000 feet altitude. Some porters3 were women who carried their babies along with them as well. They slept outside in temperatures below freezing. The Sherpas are not only physica lly strong people, but they are very social and hospitable as well. Visitors are always welcomed with a smile and never allowed to leave with an "empty mouth. " Even the most casual visitor is given tea. Important guests are given a meal. This may not seem like much, but in a poor country like Nepal, it is a generous offer. The Sherpa diet is based on several staple foods and drink, including the popular butter tea that people drink throughout the day. This drink is made by adding butter, salt, and spices to Himalayan tea. The main staple of the Sherpa