Below: A Quechua agriculturist near Cuzco carries a 
bundle of cornstalks to a Sunday market. Right: A Quechua 
girl from the Huayhuash Mountains northeast of Lima is 
protected from the cold by layers of clothing. The style and 
abundance of her clothing and her Western shoes suggest 
that she is the child of an upwardly mobile Indian family. 
Loren McIntyre, CHER Agency 
chua women have a slightly higher inter- 
nal temperature than Quechua men and 
therefore are probably more resistant to 
cold. Children, who have lower amounts 
of body fat and large skin surface areas 
relative to their body weight, are more 
prone to lose heat and have lower inter- 
nal and skin temperatures. Conse- 
quently, Quechua children are more 
likely to experience cold stress than 
adults. 
Among the Quechuas, physiological 
responses to cold seem to develop gradu- 
ally throughout childhood. This occurs 
not only because of the morphological 
changes associated with growth but also 
because repeated exposure to cold may 
prime certain physiological responses, 
such as an elevated metabolic rate. 
Biological adjustments to low tem- 
peratures have not yet been investigated 
among the Khumbu Sherpas, but the 
overall conclusion would probably be 
the same as for the Quechuas, namely, 
that the problem of cold stress at high 
altitude has been overcome to a great 
extent through cultural adaptation. 
For the Sherpas, the need for protec- 
tion is greatest during the winter 
months, when both daytime and night- 
time temperatures are low. Tradition- 
ally Sherpas have relied upon thick 
clothing made from yak or sheep wool. 
Over their full-length undergarments, 
women wear full-length woolen chubas, 
or jumpers, which have flaps at the sides 
that can be wrapped around the back. In 
addition, a broad cummerbund is used 
to hold a brightly colored apron over the 
front of the skirt and, in colder weather, 
a heavy cloth draped around the back of 
the skirt. Women also wear several 
blouses: underblouses are made of soft 
cotton, while outer blouses, particularly 
in the winter, are made of coarse, heavy 
cotton. Men wear heavy woolen pants 
and layers of shirts, covered by vests or 
sweaters. A knee-length woolen coat, or 
bakhu, can be worn with both arms 
through the long sleeves, with only one 
arm through one of the sleeves, or with 
both sleeves wrapped around the waist. 
In winter, most men wear thick sheep- 
skin coats while herding yaks or doing 
other work in the open. Traditionally, 
both sexes wore leather-soled boots, with 
layers of matted wool to provide insula- 
tion and cushion the feet and uppers of 
heavy wool that lace up the back. Men 
and women also wear fur-lined hats with 
flaps that can be pulled down over the 
ears. 
Children, after they are about four 
years old, wear smaller versions of adult 
clothing. Infants are generally warmly 
swaddled in several blankets, and moth- 
ers take care to avoid exposing them to 
cold. They are cleaned only with 
warmed oils and are never changed or 
unswaddled away from a heat source. 
Toddlers frequently wear quilted cover- 
alls with a slit in the crotch so that they 
can urinate or defecate without soiling 
their clothes. For the last fifteen to 
twenty years, most Sherpa children 
have worn Western shoes and socks, 
although some families still prefer the 
traditional boot. Neither children nor 
adults generally wear gloves or mittens 
while doing traditional chores, but most 
adult clothing has sufficient folds to 
protect hands against the cold. Tod- 
dlers’ clothing does not have this advan- 
tage, and the lack of hand protection 
may be a source of cold stress. 
Sherpa houses are built with thick 
stone and mortar walls that provide pro- 
tection from the wind, particularly since 
windows are few and generally placed 
on only one side of the house. Most 
houses consist of two stories: the ground 
floor is used as a manger and storage 
area, and the family lives in one large 
room above. The manger may provide 
some heat for the upstairs, but the sec- 
ond-story room is so large that much of 
the benefit is lost. Sherpa houses have 
peaked roofs constructed of timber 
beams. These are covered by mats or by 
pieces of slate. The upstairs room may 
be thirty or even forty feet long and half 
as wide. A small fire, located toward one 
end of this room, is lit at mealtimes and, 
during the winter, may be kept going all 
the time. During the night, this part of 
the room will remain up to 12 degrees 
warmer than the minimum outdoor tem- 
perature even if the fire is allowed to go 
out. Away from the fire, the room tem- 
perature falls to only 4 or 5 degrees 
warmer than minimum outdoor tem- 
peratures. Sleeping arrangements vary: 
in some houses, beds are located near 
the fire, while in others, they are in the 
coldest part of the room or along the 
walls. Families with small children tend 
to sleep huddled together, covered by 
thick blankets. Older children may sleep 
76 
John Maddock Roberts 
