They believe that living in the mountains helps bring them closer to religious truth. For hundreds of years Sherpas followed the practice of field-crop agriculture, especially in the lower valleys. Their main crop was potatoes, but they raised barley, wheat, and corn, too. Animals were also a part of Sherpa farming activity. They had herds of cows and yaks.
Yaks are a long-haired oxen that thrive in high altitudes.
Sherpas use them for cloth, meat, milk, and transportation. Their hair is used for tents, and their hide can be turned into leather for shoes and boots. The Sherpas also conducted an active trade across the Himalayas into Tibet and China. Yaks played an important part in this commerce since foot travel is the only way to ship goods in much of Nepal. Most Sherpas cannot read or write.