1. Native American Society on the Eve of British Colonization
1、英國殖民前夕的美洲土著社會
Anasazi pottery
阿納薩齊陶器
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.
這裡看到的阿納薩齊陶器的年代在公元前1000年到1300年之間。
在文藝復興時期，歐洲人並不是唯一成就偉業的人。沒有人能否認米開朗基羅的筆法之美或莎士比亞詩歌之輝煌。但其他地方的社會也蓬勃發展。當現代世界到了1600年時，似乎地球的每個角落都有自己的“復興”，北美的美洲土著社會也沒有什麼不同。他們有不同的文化和語言，很像歐洲。
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.
當英國人將他們的主權押在現代美國的東海岸時，他們無法想象他們即將遇到的人民的複雜性。
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個不同的美洲印第安部落。沒有單一的美洲土著語言。對於東方的莫霍克印第安人來說，與西方的祖尼族印第安人交談，就像德國人與土耳其人交談一樣困難。
Before Europeans arrived in North America, Native peoples inhabited every region. This map shows Native American tribes, culture areas, and linguistic stocks.
在歐洲人到達北美之前，每個地區都有土著居民居住。這張地圖顯示了美洲土著部落、文化區域和語言族群。
Map of Native American groups
美洲土著群體地圖
Before Europeans arrived in North America, Native peoples inhabited every region. This map shows Native American tribes, culture areas, and linguistic stocks.
在歐洲人到達北美之前，每個地區都有土著居民居住。這張地圖顯示了美洲土著部落、文化區域和語言族群。
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個州的名字來自印度語言。美洲原住民把玉米、土豆、南瓜、山藥和利馬豆等野生植物變成了供人類食用的農作物。超過一半的現代美國農產品是在英國殖民化之前由美國土著種植的。
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.
醫學在西半球並不是一門未知的科學。在現代世界，大多數用於醫療目的的天然草藥也在歐洲接觸之前被美洲土著人使用。考古學家已經瞭解到，北美印第安人通過蒸發來製造鹽，並開採了許多礦物，包括銅、鉛和煤。
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.
儘管神話恰恰相反，並不是所有的美洲原住民都是和平的。與歐洲一樣，美洲大陸也面臨著部落戰爭，有時會導致人類和文化的毀滅。
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發揮了重要作用。除了提供食物，水牛還提供衣服等。
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.
簡而言之，沒有一個簡單的方法來講述一個大陸的故事，這個大陸幾千年來一直居住著各種各樣的社區。他們的故事和其他人一樣複雜，他們的文化一樣豐富，他們的知識一樣深厚。英國人的接觸並不是用更好的生活方式來取代已有的文化，而是一種基於多種民俗融合的新文明的開始。
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.
對阿納薩齊、易洛魁人和阿爾岡人這三個群體的考察，是對過去美國世界的一個瞭解。
As you read this section, keep in mind the following questions:
閱讀本節時，請記住以下問題：
How did European explorers respond to the language, clothing, customs, dwellings, and food of the Native American peoples?
歐洲探險家對美洲原住民的語言、服裝、風俗、住所和食物有何反應？
How did the Native Americans respond to the language, clothing, and customs of the explorers?
美洲原住民對探險者的語言、服裝和風俗有何反應？
What are some of the difficulties in trying to understand someone from a different culture?
試圖理解來自不同文化的人有哪些困難？
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?
為什麼15世紀和16世紀的歐洲探險家很難了解美洲土著人的多樣性？
How do historians and archaeologists know what the explorers experienced? How do they know what the Native American peoples experienced?
歷史學家和考古學家如何知道探險家的經歷？他們怎麼知道美洲原住民的經歷？
What do you want to know about the Americas prior to the era of European exploration? How can you find out?
在歐洲探險時代之前，你想了解美洲的哪些情況？你怎麼知道的？
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