"An Intimate View into the Sherpa Diaspora in Queens"

In the summer of 2018, I was a student on CC’s summer block Himalayan Odyssey. For a month, as part of my independent study project, I conducted informal interviews with local Sherpas to investigate the effect of tourism and other socio-economic influences on out-migration from the area.

In my research, I came upon several recurring themes in stories from interviewees: the sacrifice of an older generation to send their kids to school, and disaffection with the lack of facilities and opportunities in Khumbu, resulting in a conveyor belt of out-migration, at the same time that ethnic groups from the lower hills come in to replace Sherpas in their former tasks – on an upwardly mobile economic conveyor belt of their own. This has led to fundamental, existential questions for Sherpas of all generations concerning their allegiance and ties to place, and the loss of cultural traditions, language and religion, especially as young people leave their homeland in Nepal. As I began to see these effects, I developed a number of questions about how a sense of community and culture shifts in the face of changing circumstances and opportunities. A sizable percentage of Khumbu Sherpas have moved, temporarily or permanently, to the United States, in order to seek business and educational opportunities for themselves and their families. Therefore, a logical next locus for my inquiry was to learn more about the Sherpa community in the U.S.

I intended to live with a Sherpa family (through a connection), and conduct a photojournalism/oral history project.

Two over arching questions were meant to guide me:

1. Distinguishing between young and old, as well as between those who have immigrated to the U.S recently or more than a decade ago, how do the Sherpas straddle the culture they came from and their new host country culture in the U.S?
2. Within the diaspora Sherpa community in Queens, how are questions of clan and ethnic group identity being perpetuated, discontinued, or newly created?

Within the first few days of being in New York, it became clear that this project was not going to go according to plan. Between changes in stay and volunteer opportunities, it didn't look like what I'd proposed at all. The biggest lesson was to adapt, not become attached to an end result, and instead observe and learn what I could. Many opportunities revealed themselves that way.

I interviewed some people, volunteered for an affiliated organization, and attended some events at the Sherpa monastery, learning informally along the way. Though my project changed a lot, I learned an immense amount about what it takes to conduct projects like this and what happens when things fall apart.

I am thankful for my advisors, the wonderful people I met along the way, and the Keller family.