How long have sherpas lived near/at the base of mt.everest?

Question

How long have sherpas lived near/at the base of mt.everest?

Answer 1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherpas

Answer 2

In Tibetan shar means East; pa is a suffix meaning 'people': hence the word sharpa or Sherpa. Sherpas migrated from eastern Tibet to Nepal within the last 500 years.

Why did they migrate?

During that time, China and Tibet was in conflict. Chinease army came to Tibet raped the women, killed civilians, and looted them so Tibetians migrated south across Himalayas.

Answer 3

They say they originally came from somewhere else in Tibet. I think the only logical thing that I could say is that they've been there longer than anybody else in the world.

Answer 4

The word Sherpa or “Sharwa” in their native language literally mean “east people”, and refers to an ethnic group from the eastern mountains of Nepal. The Sherpa cultural history dates back over 500 years. They are direct descendents of travelers of the eastern Tibetan region who migrated across the Himalayas in the 16 th century, perhaps motivated by warfare or famine. These wanderers brought with them their language, religion, and customs. The Sherpa clans established a capital in the north in Naboche, and in the south in Zhung Gompa, and in their isolated terrain they enjoyed relative peace from Tibetan and Nepali marauders.