Sherpa High Country

Subject: beautifully photographed ethnographic documentary on the Sherpas of the Solu Khumbu highlands in Nepal, near Mount Everest. A close-up of turning prayer wheels serves as an introduction to the film’s principal theme: the prevalence of the wheel-of life motif throughout Sherpa culture, indicating the tremendous influence of Buddhism.
Shots: prayer wheel, snowcapped mountains, native peoples, cattle, children washing at stream, narrator describes how sherpas live and work, terraced village, stone building, foot trails, stone walls, highest settlement at 13,000 feet at the base of Everest, Himalayas, yak grazing, exchange of goods, procession, playing large wind instruments, wearing traditional clothing, monks, ceremony, dance, nuns watch, masks, drumming, narrator explains meaning and purpose of rituals, costume, altars, food, worship, swords