美国国家公共电台 NPR Now Starring In Children's Cartoons: Authentic Indigenous Characters

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

For decades, animated¹ children's stories included negative stereotypes² of Native peoples, like movies like "Pocahontas" and "Peter Pan," cartoons like Bugs³ Bunny. Things are changing. The films "Moana" and "Coco" earned Disney and Pixar praise for authentic⁴ representations. And now TV networks and streaming services are reaching children with realistic portrayals⁵ of Native peoples on the small screen. NPR's Mandalit del Barco reports.

MANDALIT DEL BARCO, BYLINE⁶: "Molly Of Denali" debuts⁷ on PBS this week, the first nationally distributed children's series to feature an Alaskan Native lead character.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MOLLY OF DENALI")

SOVEREIGN BILL: (As Molly) Hey, everyone. It's me, Molly.

PHILLIP BLANCHETT AND KARINA MOELLER: (Singing) Molly of Denali.

BILL: (As Molly) Let's go.

DEL BARCO: The show's creative producer, Princess Daazhraii Johnson, describes Molly...

PRINCESS DAAZHRAII JOHNSON: A little 10-year-old Alaska Native girl who Gwich'in, Koyukon and Dena'ina Athabaskan (ph). She lives in the fictional⁸ village of Qyah, population 94.

DEL BARCO: She goes fishing and hunting and also looks up information on the Internet and on her smartphone. In one episode, an elder tells her that her grandfather stopped drumming and singing as a child when he was taken away to a Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "MOLLY OF DENALI")

BILL: (As Molly Mabray) Why did he give you his drum?

MICHELLE THRUSH: (As Shyahtsoo) At the school, we weren't allowed to sing the songs of our people. We were made to feel bad about who we were.

DEL BARCO: Johnson says this storyline really happened to one of the elders on the show's advisory⁹ board. It's a kid's show, so it has a happy ending as Molly and her grandfather sing together.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "MOLLY OF DENALI")

SOVEREIGN BILL AND LORNE CARDINAL¹⁰: (As Molly and Grandpa Nat, singing in Native language).

DEL BARCO: For years, Hollywood didn't produce stories by or about Native people because they didn't think there was a market. Crystal Echo Hawk¹¹ says that was short-sighted. She's CEO of the nonprofit watchdog group IllumiNation (ph), which found that nearly 80% of the Americans her group polled said they want to learn more about Native peoples.

CRYSTAL ECHO HAWK: Media makers¹² have always used the excuse the Native population in the United States is statistically¹³ insignificant¹⁴. There's just - there's not a demand because you guys are so small. But what this new research shows is that there is demand well beyond the Native population in this country.

DEL BARCO: For several decades, the Australian and Canadian Broadcasting corporations have spotlighted¹⁵ shows by and about their indigenous¹⁶ populations. Now, Netflix is partnering with three indigenous screen organizations to develop the next generation of First Nations creators across Canada. And in the U.S. and in Latin America, Netflix is running the animated film "Pachamama."

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "PACHAMAMA")

ANDREA SANTAMARIA: (As Tepulpai) Pachamama, we won't let you down. You'll be proud of us.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SOMOS LA NUEVA TIERRA")

UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST: (Singing in foreign language).

DEL BARCO: Juan Antin is from Argentina. He wrote and directed the story inspired by his travels with his anthropologist¹⁷ wife in Bolivia and Peru.

JUAN ANTIN: And there, I fell in love with the culture of Pachamama which is how indigenous people call Mother Earth, having respect, love to the Earth.

DEL BARCO: Pachamama centers on a 10-year-old boy in an Andean village that suffers under the Spanish conquest and the Incan empire.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "PACHAMAMA")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character) They're taking away all our crops.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: (As character) We'll have nothing left to eat.

DEL BARCO: The Cartoon Network series "Victor And Valentino" features two half-brothers in a fictitious¹⁸ Mesoamerican town exploring myths that come to life. For example, they follow a dog named Achi into the land of the dead, where they encounter a chupacabra and other legends.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "VICTOR AND VALENTINO")

DIEGO MOLANO: (As Victor) This just keeps getting better.

DEL BARCO: Animator Diego Molano began drawing his characters in college before writing for cartoons, like "Powerpuff Girls." Molano whose heritage is Mexican, Colombian and Cuban says he wanted to share the folktales his grandfather used to tell him.

MOLANO: I love the myths, sometimes the myths are not kid-friendly so I kind of use what I like about them and kind of make a story that is relatable.

DEL BARCO: Molano says it's about time networks began showing cartoons with indigenous characters and themes. He hopes it lasts.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "VICTOR AND VALENTINO")

MOLANO: (As Victor) We're finally going to have some fun this summer.

DEL BARCO: Mandalit del Barco, NPR News.

1 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

2 stereotypes   

n.老套，模式化的见解，有老一套固定想法的人( stereotype的名词复数 )v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Such jokes tend to reinforce racial stereotypes. 这样的笑话容易渲染种族偏见。
• It makes me sick to read over such stereotypes devoid of content. 这种空洞无物的八股调，我看了就讨厌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 bugs   

adj.疯狂的，发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 )；病菌；虫子；[计算机]（制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的）错误

参考例句：

• All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞，都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 authentic   

a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的

参考例句：

• This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
• Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。

5 portrayals   

n.画像( portrayal的名词复数 )；描述；描写；描摹

参考例句：

• And painters alluded to her eroticism in their bare breasted portrayals of the dying queen. 画家们把她描绘为裸胸垂死的贪欲的女王。 来自互联网

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 debuts   

演员首次演出( debut的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He never really debuts the idea of taking money from his parents any longer. 他从此就再也没有认真起过向父母要钱的念头。
• This young soprano debuts next month at the metropolitan opera. 这位年轻的女高音歌唱家下个月将在纽约大都会歌剧院举行首演。

8 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

9 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

10 cardinal   

n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的

参考例句：

• This is a matter of cardinal significance.这是非常重要的事。
• The Cardinal coloured with vexation. 红衣主教感到恼火，脸涨得通红。

11 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

12 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 statistically   

ad.根据统计数据来看，从统计学的观点来看

参考例句：

• The sample of building permits is larger and therefore, statistically satisfying. 建筑许可数的样本比较大，所以统计数据更令人满意。
• The results of each test would have to be statistically independent. 每次试验的结果在统计上必须是独立的。

14 insignificant   

adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的

参考例句：

• In winter the effect was found to be insignificant.在冬季，这种作用是不明显的。
• This problem was insignificant compared to others she faced.这一问题与她面临的其他问题比较起来算不得什么。

15 spotlighted   

v.聚光照明( spotlight的过去式和过去分词 )；使公众注意，使突出醒目

参考例句：

• The report has spotlighted real deprivation in the inner cities. 这篇报道披露了旧城区的贫困真相。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The paintings were spotlighted from below. 这些画用下面的聚光灯来照明。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

17 anthropologist   

n.人类学家，人类学者

参考例句：

• The lecturer is an anthropologist.这位讲师是人类学家。
• The anthropologist unearthed the skull of an ancient human at the site.人类学家在这个遗址挖掘出那块古人类的颅骨。

18 fictitious   

adj.虚构的，假设的；空头的

参考例句：

• She invented a fictitious boyfriend to put him off.她虚构出一个男朋友来拒绝他。
• The story my mother told me when I was young is fictitious.小时候妈妈对我讲的那个故事是虚构的。