Fear For Sherpas' Future Grows With Each Climbing Tragedy
Sherpas have a great reputation as the world's best climbers. "Sherpa" is not some sort of honorific or title; it's the name of an ethnic group — a tiny one. There are around 150,000 of them in Nepal.
While they fight for their lives on treacherous mountain terrain, Sherpas also struggle to keep their community — and its values — alive.
If you are a Sherpa, it's noted right in your name, like Ang Galgen Sherpa, who lives in Queens, N.Y., home to the largest community of Sherpas in the U.S.
Galgen has driven a yellow taxi in New York City for 12 years, but he used to guide people through the Himalayas.
"Every time a customer gets in, they look at my name [they say]... 'Are you a Sherpa? You can't be a Sherpa! Are you really a Sherpa?' " he says. "I say, yeah, I'm really a Sherpa."
The next question is usually about whether or not he has climbed Mount Everest. Galgen has not, but the question makes him feel incredibly proud.
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