The Sherpas of Darjeeling: Rethinking Early History, Representation and Identity Formation

Since the mid-19th Century, Darjeeling which today comprises the Northern part of West Bengal in India, witnessed a huge influx of population, from Eastern Nepal. The region today shares its boundaries with Bhutan, Nepal and Sikkim. The groups from Eastern Nepal then were encouraged to migrate to the region to cater to the then-emerging British expansionist policies. Soon these subaltern populations started being identified on occupational lines, where the preference of one ethnic group over the other for a particular task became the modus operandi through which the British further capitalised on their needs. This further divided the ethnic population on wider colonial biological determinism also termed “scientific racism” (Caplan, 1995). Therefore, the identity and the body of these subaltern groups were continuously colonised. While groups such as Magar, Gurung Limbu and Rai were preferred for their Gurkha regiment, the Sherpas were soon recognised for their efficiency in high-altitude climbing. The British started preferring only a Sherpa man from Darjeeling, who traced their descent to Solukhumbu in Northeastern Nepal, for any risky high-altitude expeditions. Thus, in no time, the word Sherpa soon started being synonymously used to refer to a “high-altitude porter”. Given such a backdrop, this paper will critically contextualise such colonial representation and characterisation of the Sherpa identity. Further, taking an emic perspective, it seeks to highlight their lived realities vis-à-vis the history of migration, territoriality, colonialism, regional ethnic movements and internal ethnic hierarchies. Overall, it seeks to understand how the Sherpas have evolved as an ethnic group in the region. The study will take insights through the data collected from Lamba Dara and Lower Aloobari; two of the oldest Sherpa populous villages in Darjeeling. The fieldwork was carried out from January to November 2021, through a Semi-structured interview, in-depth interview, focus group discussion and observation method.