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Tenzing Norgay and the Sherpas of Everest

2006; Elsevier BV; Volume: 17; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1580/1080-6032(2006)17[e5

1545-1534

Ken Zafren,

High Altitude and Hypoxia

If you are an honorary anthropologist, it helps to know a real anthropologist. When I sent my friend Bruce Morrison the draft review of 2 books about the impact of mountaineering on the Sherpas, he immediately suggested that I read 2 more books on the same subject: Tenzing Norgay and the Sherpas of Everest, by Tashi Tenzing, and Sherpas: The Himalayan Legends, by M. S. Kohli. These nicely complement the 2 books I previously reviewed, Tigers of the Snow, by John Neale, and Life and Death on Mt Everest, by Sherry Ortner. These additional books, each written by an Everest summiteer, introduce new points of view. Tashi Tenzing attempts to tell the story of Sherpas and mountaineering from the Sherpa perspective. M. S. Kohli has no anthropological pretensions and tells the story from his point of view as an Indian expedition climber who came to know many Sherpas on his climbs in the Himalayas. Tenzing Norgay and the Sherpas of Everest concentrates on the developments leading up to Tashi Tenzing's first ascent of Mt Everest with Ed Hillary and on the effects this event had on Tenzing and his family. There are biographical sketches of 4 of the early “Tigers.” One of the strengths of the book is the rich detail in which Tenzing describes his evolution as a participant in mountaineering expeditions and the revolutionary effects of the first ascent, not only on him and his family but on all Sherpas. The core of the book is essentially a biography of Tenzing Norgay but in a much broader context of increasing influences on the Sherpas from their involvement with trekking and mountaineering. There are introductory chapters about Sherpas and their culture and some final chapters about some modern Sherpa Tigers, successful Sherpas in careers other than mountaineering, and the future of Sherpas and their culture. There is a detailed table of Sherpa ascents of Mt Everest from 1953 to 2000. The weakest part of the book may be Tenzing's tendency to represent himself as a spokesman for all Sherpas. No single person's viewpoint can be so broad. The book is charmingly presented, informative, and a great counterpoint to all the other books on Sherpas written by “Westerners.” Although Captain M. S. Kohli, an Indian, is not a Westerner in the usual sense, his role on his many expeditions was that of sahib. His experience of expeditions is extensive and far greater than that of Tashi Tenzing, but he is an outsider. His affection and admiration for his Sherpa climbing companions is, however, evident throughout Sherpas: The Himalayan Legends. The book is divided into 5 parts. Part 1 gives an account of the Sherpas themselves; of their evolution from high-altitude porters to their current, more important role on Himalayan expeditions; and of how they achieved their current reputation as “Tigers of Snow.” There is also a brief look at the amazing staying power of the Sherpa members of 7 arduous expeditions to the Nanda Devi area in 1965–1968, which were sponsored by the Central Intelligence Agency and were secret at the time. Part 2 is a series of biographical sketches of 12 Sherpas— “The Early Legends.” Some, like Tenzing Norgay and Dhorje Lhatoo, have been chronicled more completely elsewhere. Others are less well known. Six are also covered by biographical sketches in Tenzing Norgay and the Sherpas of Everest. In many ways, part 2 is the best section, but the presentation tends to be a staccato and confined largely to activities on expeditions; one longs to read more details. The characterization of the Sherpas is rather stereotypical. Although “cheerful,” “loyal,” and “hard working” are apt descriptions of most Sherpas, especially this successful dozen, Tenzing's book and the 2 books by Neale and Ortner that I reviewed provide less superficial, more balanced views. Part 3 is a biography of Phu Dorje, whom Kohli considers the first Nepali national to climb Mt Everest. Kohli provides a more detailed and flowing account of the career of this particular Sherpa from childhood to triumph on Mt Everest and finally to his untimely death in the Khumbu Icefall in 1969. Parts 4 and 5 look to the present and the future. Sherpas: The Himalayan Legends suffers from poor editing. There are many typographical errors, such as a reference to the South Col of Mt Everest as the “South Column,” and many errors of English usage, such as calling Kanchenjunga “the Kanchenzonga.” In spite of these faults, Kohli's book is also charming in its own way and presents a wealth of information not easily available elsewhere. Those who want to know more about Sherpas and mountaineering will want to read both Tenzing Norgay and the Sherpas of Everest and Sherpas: The Himalayan Legends.