Shamanistic practice in Northern Nepal

Abstract

The Sherpas—in Tibetan śar-pa or "men of the east"—live mainly in Northern Nepal, in the Darjeeling district, in India and Northern Sikkim, in the regions bordering on Tibet, and on the southern slopes of the Himalayas. The Sherpas are of Tibetan stock. Among the Tibetan racial groups two religions can be broadly distinguished. One is a form of Buddhism, usually called Lamaism. The other religion is called in the Lhasa pronunciation Bon. Among the Sherpas both the religion and its priests are called "bombo", spelt: bongo.