Sherpa, Any member of a mountain-dwelling people of the Himalayas. Sherpas are of Tibetan culture and descent and speak a Tibetan dialect. They make a living spinning and weaving wool, along with farming and cattle breeding. They have won international renown as porters in the high Himalayas, and the name Sherpa has come to be used generically for porters there. They number about 50,000.