Sherpas (Disappearing World episode 21) (1977)
Title
Sherpas (Disappearing World episode 21) (1977)
Subject
Sherpa (Nepalese people)
Nepal
URL
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Description
Content description from Worldcat (https://www.worldcat.org/title/sherpas-disappearing-world/oclc/865199342):
Sherpa Tenzing, the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953, came from the Nepalese village of Thami. Sherpas have since become famous as mountaineer guides, but little is known of their daily village lives and the fierce individualism that characterizes them. This film looks at the contrasting lives of three brothers from Thami. Purwa, a farmer, grows potatoes and herds yak; in his community, neighbors fight if their homes adjoin too closely and congregate only for occasions like weddings. Dorje, a Buddhist monk, believes involvement with religion means no one gives you orders; if he avoids sin and gains merit, he'll be reincarnated into a good life, but ultimately hopes to avoid the cycle of reincarnation by attaining permanent bliss. Mingma, an expedition guide, lives with his family in Kathmandu, where tourism has already brought rapid change to the sherpas' way of life.
Ephemara: available through CCDR Collections at Arizona State University. Three small clippings with program description
Limitations: This page displays video content associated with a videotape in the CCDR Collections audiovisual library recorded by Joann W. Kealiinohomoku. Please be advised that, because this videotape has not yet been digitized for direct access, we cannot guarantee that the video content on this page is an exact match with the content originally recorded by Dr. Kealiinohomoku. We also cannot guarantee function or access for re-hosted video content.
Sherpa Tenzing, the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953, came from the Nepalese village of Thami. Sherpas have since become famous as mountaineer guides, but little is known of their daily village lives and the fierce individualism that characterizes them. This film looks at the contrasting lives of three brothers from Thami. Purwa, a farmer, grows potatoes and herds yak; in his community, neighbors fight if their homes adjoin too closely and congregate only for occasions like weddings. Dorje, a Buddhist monk, believes involvement with religion means no one gives you orders; if he avoids sin and gains merit, he'll be reincarnated into a good life, but ultimately hopes to avoid the cycle of reincarnation by attaining permanent bliss. Mingma, an expedition guide, lives with his family in Kathmandu, where tourism has already brought rapid change to the sherpas' way of life.
Ephemara: available through CCDR Collections at Arizona State University. Three small clippings with program description
Limitations: This page displays video content associated with a videotape in the CCDR Collections audiovisual library recorded by Joann W. Kealiinohomoku. Please be advised that, because this videotape has not yet been digitized for direct access, we cannot guarantee that the video content on this page is an exact match with the content originally recorded by Dr. Kealiinohomoku. We also cannot guarantee function or access for re-hosted video content.
Original Format
TV broadcast recorded off air by JWK: Betamax tape
Creator
Leslie Woodhead and Pattie Winter (directors and producers)
Sherry Ortner (anthropologist)
Publisher
Granada Television
Date
1977 April 13
Citation
“Sherpas (Disappearing World episode 21) (1977),” Cross-Cultural Dance Resources Collections, accessed May 21, 2026, https://ccdrcollections.omeka.net/items/show/238.