essay
Biocultural adaptations of the high altitude Sherpas of Nepal
People of South Asia : the biological anthropology of India, Pakistan, and Nepal • New York • Published In 1984 • Pages: 387-420
By: Weitz, Charles A..
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
Based on studies by other researchers and his own demographic survey, Weitz examines fertility, nutrition, disease, and mortality among the Sherpa in the Khumba region of the Nepal Himalayans. He also compares high altitude adaptation of the Khumba Sherpa with that of the Quechua from Andean Highlands. He compares lung volume, oxygen consumption, and the affects of hypoxia on fertility between the two populations. The Sherpa have a smaller lung capacity than the Quechua, although oxygen consumption is similar between the two groups, which suggests that humans adapt differently to high altitude environments. Assuming that hypoxia negatively affects fertility, the lower birth weight of Sherpa newborns compared to Quechua babies suggests that the latter are better adapted to higher altitudes.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Anthropometry
- Ontogenetic data
- Nutrition
- Physiological data
- Birth statistics
- Morbidity
- 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
- essay
- 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
- 1970-1971
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1967-1974
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Khumba region, Nepal
- NotesAdditional notes
- Charles A. Weitz
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 417-420)
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 83027058
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Sherpa (Nepalese people)