article
Dreams of a final Sherpa
American anthropologist • 99 (1) • Published In 1997 • Pages: 85-98
By: Adams, Vincanne.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
In this paper Adams analyses a Sherpa curing ceremony in order to understand Sherpa notions of self and reality. He also examines the relationship between Sherpas and foreigners, including anthropologists. Sherpa curing ceremonies involve bringing together the supernatural and natural worlds. Demons and gods are invited to inhabit their effigies that are specially made for the ceremony. The practitioner and patient identify themselves with the Buddha effigies. According to Adams, this transference of self fits into the Buddhist ideas about the impermanence of the world and the need to detach oneself from it. One builds merit to the degree one can disengage. Adams asks how can one talk about an essential Sherpa subject when the Sherpa self is so labile? Sherpas readily identify themselves with Western tourists' imaginings about the Sherpa, both close-to-nature and Eastern in outlook. In their relationship with foreigners, Sherpas form profitable friendships and gain merit at the same time.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Acculturation and culture contact
- Magical and mental therapy
- General character of religion
- Cosmology
- Spirits and gods
- Theological systems
- Prophets and ascetics
- Ethnopsychology
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Sherpa
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2004
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Asia
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Central Asia
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Ethnologist
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Ian Skoggard ; 2002
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1989-1990
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1960-1995
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Khum Jung village, Solu-Khombu District, Khosi Zone, Nepal
- NotesAdditional notes
- Vincanne Adams
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 96-98)
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 17015424
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Sherpa (Nepalese people)