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Davidson College

Publication Date

Spring 2023

Program Name

Nepal: Tibetan and Himalayan Peoples

Abstract

Identified as a pressing matter by organizations as prominent as the UN, the conservation of minority and indigenous languages “is essential for ensuring the continuation and transmission of culture, customs, and history, but it is also important to address biodiversity loss and climate change.” This project focuses on one of the latter issues, biodiversity loss, as it relates to Sherpa, a minority language spoken primarily in Eastern Nepal. In an effort to help preserve the native vocabulary and descriptions of basic plants and animals found in Sherpa-speaking regions, primarily interview-based fieldwork was conducted in the lower Solu regions of Lumsa, Salleri and Junbesi. Approximately 100 instances of biodiversity and their corresponding Sherpa names were recorded, in addition to a selection of photographs and pieces of community knowledge relating to nature; these data were then compiled into the form of a website, with the aim of keeping the information as accessible as possible to the intended audience of Sherpa youth, and to a lesser extent, the wider community. Finally, challenges encountered and suggestions for further study are also discussed.

Disciplines

Biodiversity | Climate | Digital Humanities | Environmental Studies | Modern Languages | Typological Linguistics and Linguistic Diversity

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