From zomo to yak: Change in a Sherpa village

Transhumant herding of cow-yak hybrids is a specialization of Helambu Sherpa villagers living at altitudes between 7,000– 11,000 feet on the southern slopes of the Himalayas. Hybrids are ideally suited for the climate at this altitude, producing large quantities of rich milk for butter production. Focused on a village in east- central Nepal, this paper documents a shift by some families between 1971– 1989 from the longstanding pattern of herding hybrids to an alternative pattern of producing them. This involves learning to manage yak, establishing new transhumance routes, a switch from dairying to livestock production, and a variety of economic, environmental, and social repercussions. The two types of herding systems are described, and possible causes for the shift are discussed within the context of the economic options available to people in this environment. A special emphasis is placed on the flexibility of options that is both necessary and possible with transhumant agropastoralism as practiced by middle and high-altitude Himalayan peoples.     

从体型特征来探讨中国夏尔巴人的族源

中国夏尔巴人是未识别民族。本文研究中国夏尔巴人体型特点,并通过夏尔巴人与中国其他族群体型比较,从体质人类学角度为夏尔巴人的族源研究提出新的证据。测量夏尔巴人的体质数据,采用Heath-Carter法计算夏尔巴人的体型值,通过主成分分析法分析夏尔巴人与其他族群体型的特点和相似程度,从体质人类学方面对夏尔巴人的族源提出看法。西藏夏尔巴人男性平均体型为均衡的中胚层体型,体脂发育水平中等,骨骼、肌肉比较发达,身体线性度中等。女性平均体型为偏内胚层的中胚层体型,夏尔巴人女性的体型特点是体脂欠发达,骨骼和肌肉含量中等,身体线性度中等。夏尔巴人男性、女性与怒族、木雅人、尔苏人体型接近。体部特征分析不支持夏尔巴人是藏族分支的观点。体型特征支持夏尔巴人源于党项羌的观点。     

Genetic polymorphisms in isolated Sherpa populations of Nepal

Data are reported on the incidence of variants in the ABO blood group system, four red cell enzyme polymorphisms, and the PTU taster/non-taster polymorphism in 155 Sherpas and Tamangs living in two villages in the isolated Rolwaling valley in east Nepal. The incidence of phenotype AB was unexpectedly high in one village, as has been reproted insome other high-altitude populations: possible causes are discussed. Each of the other polymorphisms has a different pattern of distribution between the populations studied; the Sherpas' allele distribution in the phosphoglucomutase (PGM) system seems to be distinct from the surrounding populations'. ABO gene frequencies suggest affinities between Sherpas in the study villages and old- and new-clan Sherpa populations, respectively, in Solu and Khumbu.     

Growth characteristics of populations of Tibetan origin in Nepal.

Previous growth studies of highland-dwelling populations in the ecologically diverse areas of Peru and Ethiopia have yielded highly varied results: the retarded growth of the Peruvian sample was attributed to the effects of hypoxia, while the increased height and weight of the highland Ethiopian sample could be traced to better health conditions in the highland village than in the lowland village studied. In an attempt to provide a basis for evaluating studies of growth at high altitude, the present study compared Sherpa children living in the Everest region of Nepal with Tibetan children living in Kathmandu. It was found that: (1) the growth of Sherpa and Tibetan children is considerably retarded compared to other high altitude populations; (2) despite conditions favorable for optimum growth among the Tibetans, their growth resembled that of the Sherpas and (3) increased chest circumference, which seems to reflect a developmental acclimatization to hypoxia among Peruvian high-altitude natives, was not seen among the Sherpas.