Tenzing Norgay
Tenzing Norgay GM OSN (/ˈtɛnzɪŋ ˈnɔːrɡeɪ/; Sherpa: བསྟན་འཛིན་ནོར་རྒྱས tendzin norgyé; May 1914 – 9 May 1986), born Namgyal Wangdi, and also referred to as Sherpa Tenzing,[1] was a Nepalese-Indian Sherpa mountaineer.[2][3] He was one of the first two people known to certainly reach the summit of Mount Everest, which he accomplished with Edmund Hillary on 29 May 1953.[4] Time named Norgay one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.[5]
"Tenzing" redirects here. For people with the name, see Tenzing (name).Personal information
Namgyal Wangdi
9 May 1986 (aged 71–72)
Darjeeling, West Bengal, India
- Nepalese
- Indian
19 years
Porter
First ascent of Mount Everest, May 1953
-
Dawa Phuti(m. 1935; died 1944)
-
Ang Lahmu(m. 1945; died 1964)
- Dakku (m. before or in 1964)
7, including Jamling
Early life
There are conflicting accounts of Tenzing's early life. In his autobiography, he wrote that he was a Sherpa born and raised in Tengboche, Khumbu, in northeastern Nepal.[6] In a 1985 interview with All India Radio, he said his parents came from Tibet, but that he was born in Nepal.[7] According to many later accounts, including a book co-written by his son Jamling Tenzin Norgay, he was born in Tibet,[8][9] at Tse Chu in the Kama Valley, and grew up in Thame.[10] He spent his early childhood in Kharta, near the north of the country. Norgay went to Nepal as a child to work for a Sherpa family in Khumbu.[3][11][12][13][14][15]
Khumbu lies near Mount Everest, which the Tibetans and Sherpas call Chomolungma; in Standard Tibetan, that name means "Holy Mother," or the goddess of the summit.[16] Buddhism is the traditional religion of the Sherpas and Tibetans, and Norgay was Buddhist.[6]
Although his exact date of birth is unknown, he knew it was in late May by the weather and the crops. After his ascent of Everest on 29 May 1953, he decided to celebrate his birthday on that day thereafter. His year of birth, according to the Tibetan calendar, was the Year of the Rabbit, making it likely that he was born in 1914.[6] This agrees with Hunt's statement that he was 39 in 1953, and had "established himself (as) not only the foremost climber of his race but as a mountaineer of world standing."[17]
Tenzing was originally called "Namgyal Wangdi", but as a child his name was changed on the advice of the head lama and founder of Rongbuk Monastery, Ngawang Tenzin Norbu.[18] "Tenzing Norgay" translates as "wealthy-fortunate-follower-of-religion." His father, a Tibetan yak herder, was Ghang La Mingma (d. 1949), and his mother, who was Tibetan, was Dokmo Kinzom. She lived to see him climb Everest. Tenzing was the 11th of 13 children, several of whom died young.[6]
Tenzing ran away from home twice in his teens, first to Kathmandu and later to Darjeeling, India (which at that time was the starting point for most expeditions in the eastern Himalayas), and eventually acquired Indian citizenship.[19] He was once sent to Tengboche Monastery to become a monk, but he decided that was not for him and left.[20] At the age of 19 he settled in the Sherpa community in the Too Song Busti district of Darjeeling.[6]
Honours
In 1938, after Norgay's third Everest expedition as a porter, the Himalayan Club awarded him its Tiger Medal for high-altitude work.[18]
On 7 June 1953, it was announced that the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II wished to recognize Norgay's achievements. 10 Downing Street announced on 1 July that, following consultation with the governments of India and Nepal, the Queen had approved awarding Norgay the George Medal.[48][49] He also received, along with the rest of the Everest party, the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal. In May 2013, Norgay's grandson, Tashi Tenzing, said he believed his grandfather should have been knighted, not just given "a bloody medal."[50][51]
In 1953, King Tribhuvan of Nepal presented him with the Order of the Star of Nepal, 1st Class (Supradipta-Manyabara-Nepal-Tara).[52]
In 1959, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award of India.[53] Indian Mountaineering Foundation presented him with its gold medal.[54]
On 1 March 1963, Norgay was awarded the honorary title of "Merited Master of Sport of the USSR" by the Soviet Union, becoming the first foreigner to receive this distinction.[55]
In September 2013, the Government of Nepal proposed naming a 7,916-metre (25,971 ft) mountain in Nepal Tenzing Peak in Norgay's honour.[56] Both Tenzing Peak and Hillary Peak are points on the long Ridge from Cho Oyu to Gyuchung Kang with Tenzing Peak nearer to Cho Oyu.
In July 2015, the highest-known, 3.4-kilometre-high (11,000 ft) mountain range on the dwarf planet Pluto was named Tenzing Montes.[57]
Relatives of Tenzing Norgay: