Meet the Pawan and Dawa
Pawan Lama Sherpa and Dawa Fhuti Sherpa operate the Wildberry on behalf of Sherpa Shangri-La, LLC. They also own an inn at the village of Lukla in northeastern Nepal. This town is located south of Namche Bazaar, on the approaches to Everest,
Photograph?
where Dawa’s parents lived and operated their own inn. There are two family inns in Namche , one operated by Dawa’s Mother and the other by family members. The Inns in Namche can be reached at http://khumbulodge.com
The lodge in Lukla is a forty room inn/restaurant catering primarily
to tourists and trekkers. Photograph?
It is called The Northface Resort. If you plan to visit
Nepal, please include Northface Lodge in your itinerary. The Lodge webpage
address is http://www.thenorthfaceresort.com/ Pawan’s Sister now manages
the Lodge in Lukla.
Two of three children of Pawan and Dawa (Sonam and Pemba Diki) are in the
United States pursuing nursing degrees. Their Son is also planning to attend
College somewhere outside of Nepal.
Nepal,
like the United States, is principally a country of immigrants.
It is located at the very north of India, which has supplied many of Nepal’s immigrants,
especially in the lower Southern elevations. Actually, India borders Nepal on three sides-the South,
West, and East. The influence of India extends to culture and religion. The dominant religious
affiliation of people in the south is Hinduism. In the north (especially the northeast) Tibetan
influence is obvious. The Sherpa people of this region have immigrated, or are descendents of
people who long-ago emigrated from Tibet. Their racial heritage is Mongolian, and the dominant
religion is Buddhist. Most of Nepal is mountainous and underdeveloped. Transportation is quiet
difficult beyond the Khatmandu valley. Traveling from Khatmandu to Lukla and Namche (where Pawan
and Dawa’s families are located) by ground-based motor vehicle is impossible. Tourists either
walk (accompanied by porters and guides) or they may have the opportunity to fly on a small and
limited-scheduled airplane to the tiny Lukla airport...
Who are the Sherpa people?
The word SHERPA (Sherwa) derives from the Tibetan words “Shar” which means “eastern’” and the word ‘Wa” meaning “people. Today’s Sherpa people descend from several Tibetan families that migrated to the north of what is today called Nepal. Sources disagree as to when and why this migration took place, but it likely occurred between the 1100’s into the late 1400’s. They are mostly “Tibetan Buddhists” who look to today’s Dalai Lama as religious leader in a country that is mostly Hindu.
Sherpa is an ethnic name, not just a term identifying an occupation. Some are porters who guide trekkers on the supremely difficult climbs in the Himalayan Mountains, including Mt. Everest. Others are found in occupations ranging from farming and herding to finance and investment. Many Sherpas who still reside in the homeland Khumbu region of Nepal are part of the extensive travel industry associated with treks to Mt. Everest.
During the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries thousands of Sherpas migrated from Nepal to many foreign countries, including Pawan and Dawa who have come to the United States of America.
