1. Native American Society on the Eve of British Colonization
1、英国殖民前夕的美洲土著社会
Anasazi pottery
阿纳萨齐陶器
The Anasazi pottery seen here has been dated between 1000 and 1300 C.E.
In Renaissance times, Europeans were not the only ones accomplishing great things. No one can deny the beauty of Michelangelo's brushwork or the brilliance of Shakespeare's verse. But societies elsewhere also flourished. As the modern world turned 1600, it seems as though each corner of the globe had its own "renaissance." The Native American societies of North America were no different. They had diverse cultures and languages, much like Europe.
这里看到的阿纳萨齐陶器的年代在公元前1000年到1300年之间。
在文艺复兴时期，欧洲人并不是唯一成就伟业的人。没有人能否认米开朗基罗的笔法之美或莎士比亚诗歌之辉煌。但其他地方的社会也蓬勃发展。当现代世界到了1600年时，似乎地球的每个角落都有自己的“复兴”，北美的美洲土著社会也没有什么不同。他们有不同的文化和语言，很像欧洲。
When the British staked their claim to the east coast of the modern United States, they could not have dreamed of the complexity of the peoples they were soon to encounter.
当英国人将他们的主权押在现代美国的东海岸时，他们无法想象他们即将遇到的人民的复杂性。
There are between 140 and 160 different AMERICAN INDIAN TRIBES. There is no single Native American language. It would be as difficult for the Mohawk Indians of the East to converse with Zuni Indians of the West as it would be for Germans to converse with Turks.
有140到160个不同的美洲印第安部落。没有单一的美洲土著语言。对于东方的莫霍克印第安人来说，与西方的祖尼族印第安人交谈，就像德国人与土耳其人交谈一样困难。
Before Europeans arrived in North America, Native peoples inhabited every region. This map shows Native American tribes, culture areas, and linguistic stocks.
在欧洲人到达北美之前，每个地区都有土著居民居住。这张地图显示了美洲土著部落、文化区域和语言族群。
Map of Native American groups
美洲土著群体地图
Before Europeans arrived in North America, Native peoples inhabited every region. This map shows Native American tribes, culture areas, and linguistic stocks.
在欧洲人到达北美之前，每个地区都有土著居民居住。这张地图显示了美洲土著部落、文化区域和语言族群。
Twenty-seven states derive names from Indian languages. Native Americans turned wild plants such as corn, potatoes, pumpkin, yams, and lima beans into farm crops for human consumption. More than half of modern American farm products were grown by Native Americans before British colonization.
27个州的名字来自印度语言。美洲原住民把玉米、土豆、南瓜、山药和利马豆等野生植物变成了供人类食用的农作物。超过一半的现代美国农产品是在英国殖民化之前由美国土著种植的。
Medicine was not an unknown science in the Western Hemisphere. Most natural herbs used for medicinal purposes in the modern world had also been used by Native Americans before European contact. Archaeologists have learned that North American Indians made salt by evaporation and mined a great many minerals including copper, lead, and coal.
医学在西半球并不是一门未知的科学。在现代世界，大多数用于医疗目的的天然草药也在欧洲接触之前被美洲土著人使用。考古学家已经了解到，北美印第安人通过蒸发来制造盐，并开采了许多矿物，包括铜、铅和煤。
Despite myths to the contrary, not all Native Americans were peaceful. Like Europe, the American continent faced tribal warfare that sometimes led to human and cultural destruction.
尽管神话恰恰相反，并不是所有的美洲原住民都是和平的。与欧洲一样，美洲大陆也面临着部落战争，有时会导致人类和文化的毁灭。
The buffalo played an important role in the survival of Native American tribes. In addition to providing food, the buffalo provided clothing and more.
水牛在美洲土著部落的生存中发挥了重要作用。除了提供食物，水牛还提供衣服等。
In short, there is no simple way to tell the tale of a continent that had been peopled by diverse communities for thousands of years. Their tales are as complex as any others, their cultures as rich, their knowledge as deep. British contact did not mark the replacement of established cultures by a better way of life, but rather the beginning of a new civilization based on a blend of diverse folkways.
简而言之，没有一个简单的方法来讲述一个大陆的故事，这个大陆几千年来一直居住着各种各样的社区。他们的故事和其他人一样复杂，他们的文化一样丰富，他们的知识一样深厚。英国人的接触并不是用更好的生活方式来取代已有的文化，而是一种基于多种民俗融合的新文明的开始。
historic documents, declaration, constitution, more
An examination of three groups — Anasazi, Iroquois, and Algonkian — serves as a beginning to learning about the American world that once was.
对阿纳萨齐、易洛魁人和阿尔冈人这三个群体的考察，是对过去美国世界的一个了解。
As you read this section, keep in mind the following questions:
阅读本节时，请记住以下问题：
How did European explorers respond to the language, clothing, customs, dwellings, and food of the Native American peoples?
欧洲探险家对美洲原住民的语言、服装、风俗、住所和食物有何反应？
How did the Native Americans respond to the language, clothing, and customs of the explorers?
美洲原住民对探险者的语言、服装和风俗有何反应？
What are some of the difficulties in trying to understand someone from a different culture?
试图理解来自不同文化的人有哪些困难？
Why was it difficult for European explorers of the 15th and 16th centuries to understand the diversity of the native peoples who lived in the Americas?
为什么15世纪和16世纪的欧洲探险家很难了解美洲土著人的多样性？
How do historians and archaeologists know what the explorers experienced? How do they know what the Native American peoples experienced?
历史学家和考古学家如何知道探险家的经历？他们怎么知道美洲原住民的经历？
What do you want to know about the Americas prior to the era of European exploration? How can you find out?
在欧洲探险时代之前，你想了解美洲的哪些情况？你怎么知道的？
閱讀更多 小豬佩奇學英語 的文章
