THIS IS AMERICA - National Museum of the American Indian

THIS IS AMERICA - National Museum of the American Indian
By Shelley Gollust

Broadcast: Monday, September 20, 2004

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Faith Lapidus. Today we tell about the National Museum of the American Indian which opens this week in Washington, D.C.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

 
National Museum of the American Indian
The National Museum of the American Indian is opening with six days of events celebrating Indian culture. The events begin on Tuesday with a Native Nations Procession. About fifteen thousand people from North, Central and South America are expected to walk along the National Mall and gather for the museum's opening ceremony. Many will be wearing traditional Native clothing. During the week, more than three hundred performers and artists will present music, dance and storytelling as part of the First Americans Festival.

The new National Museum of the American Indian is part of the Smithsonian Institution, a group of museums operated by the government. It was built on the last open space on the Mall, between the Air and Space Museum and the United States Capitol.

But the National Museum of the American Indian is more than another museum in Washington. It is a gathering¹ place for living cultures. Its goal is to save, study and show the life, languages, history and arts of the Native people of North, Central and South America. One thousand Native communities are represented.

VOICE TWO:

The most important words in the museum's goal are "living cultures." This museum shows American Indian objects from the past and also from the present. Native people provide the explanations about the meaning and importance of the objects. Members of these living cultures played an important part in creating the new museum. They also decided² which objects to show to the public and how they should be shown.

Visitors can see more than seven thousand objects in the new museum. Some of them are more than ten thousand years old.

VOICE ONE:

 
'Apache' by American Indian sculptor³ Allan Houser
These are some of the objects visitors can see in the new Museum of the American Indian: Wood and stone carvings⁴ and face coverings from the northwest coast of North America. Clothing and head coverings made of animal skins and feathers from the North American plains. Clay pots, woven baskets and silver jewelry⁵ from the southwestern United States.

The collection also includes ancient objects from the Native peoples of the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America.

These include ceramic⁶ containers from Costa Rica, Mexico and Peru. Beautifully carved jade⁷ objects from the Olmec and Maya peoples. Woven cloths and gold objects from the Andean cultures.

VOICE TWO:

The objects are shown in three permanent exhibits. Through these objects, twenty-four Native communities tell their own stories of who they are. The exhibits are called "Our Universes," "Our Peoples" and "Our Lives." "Our Universes" explores Native peoples' theories about the world around them and their spiritual worlds. It contains objects and stories that tell about the values and beliefs of different Native cultures.

In "Our Peoples," several Native communities present their tribal⁸ histories. They have chosen the objects, pictures, songs and other materials to tell about their past and their present.

"Our Lives" examines the modern history of several Native communities through their cultural, social and political beliefs.

VOICE ONE:

 
Rick West 
Richard West has been the director of the Museum of the American Indian since nineteen ninety. He is a member of the Southern Cheyenne tribe⁹. Mister West says the museum will show the success of Native people in keeping their way of life and overcoming pressures against them. He says it "will be a place to show and tell the world who we are and to use our own voices in the telling."

Mister West said the museum would not avoid addressing the troubles in American Indian communities since the arrival of colonial¹⁰ powers five hundred years ago. These include broken treaties with Indian tribes¹¹, the capture of Native lands and the killing¹² of Native Americans. They also include the poor living conditions on reservations where many Native Americans live today.

Experts say building the museum in the very heart of the nation's capital represents a kind of cultural justice. It is a sign of a long-delayed cooperation between the people whose ancestors came to this country and the people who were already here.

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VOICE TWO:

 
George Gustav Heye
The National Museum of the American Indian owns about eight hundred thousand objects. They are from the collection of one man, American businessman George Gustav Heye. He spent the first fifty years of the last century gathering American Indian objects. He created one of the largest collections in the world. He collected objects from the far northern Arctic¹³ Circle to the southern tip of South America. These objects have great artistic¹⁴, historic¹⁵ and cultural meaning.

In nineteen twenty-two, the Heye Foundation opened a private museum in New York City to show the collection. However, the museum had space to show the public only a small part of the collection. The foundation did not have enough money to expand the museum or to correctly care for the huge number of objects being stored.

After years of negotiations¹⁶, an agreement was reached to make the Heye Foundation Museum of the American Indian part of the Smithsonian Institution. Congress approved the action in nineteen eighty-nine.

In nineteen ninety-four, the George Gustav Heye Center of the National Museum of the American Indian opened in the old Custom House in New York City. It is one of the most visited museums in New York. It will continue to offer major exhibits and public programs.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Thomas Sweeney is the head of public relations for the new National Museum of the American Indian. He says tribal representatives from the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central and South America were asked for their ideas about the design of the new building. They said the building needed roundness, light and open space, natural materials, water and plants.

The finished design of the museum includes all this. It is beautiful and unusual. It looks like no other building in Washington. The museum covers only about twenty-five percent of the two hectares of land that surrounds it. It fits into the setting on the Mall, yet it shows traditional American Indian values.

The outside wall is made of different size blocks of sand-colored limestone¹⁷. It looks like waves of stone. The wall seems to flow as if formed by wind and water. Glass window areas provide light and a connection between inside and out.

VOICE TWO:

The main entrance to the museum faces east and the rising sun, like the doorway¹⁸ in a traditional American Indian home. About thirty thousand trees and plants native to the area surround the building. The grounds recreate four traditional environments of Native peoples: A hardwood forest. Lowland freshwater wetlands. Eastern grassy¹⁹ meadows²⁰. And traditional croplands where beans, corn and squash²¹ will be grown.

Water is very much a part of the building's surroundings. It flows over and around rocks. There are more than forty huge rocks from Canada called Grandfather Rocks. They show the respect of Native Americans for ancient things that existed in the area long before people arrived.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Visitors to the National Museum of the American Indian enter a large central circular space. It has a rounded top more than thirty-three meters high that is similar to the dome²² of the nearby Capitol building. This area is called Potomac, which in the Native local language means "where the goods are brought in."

Live demonstrations²³ like boatbuilding, storytelling, music, and dance will take place here. The public will experience the living traditions and skills of Native people.

VOICE TWO:

One of the most important parts of the new National Museum of the American Indian is called the Fourth Museum. This is not a physical structure. It is the Community Services office, a link between the museum and Native communities throughout the Americas.

Native people have been employed to work with individuals, communities and organizations to develop museum programs. They have created traveling exhibits, educational materials and an Internet Web site. The address is americanindian.si.edu. The National Museum of the American Indian will use these to inform people around the world about the living Native cultures of the Americas.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Our program was written by Marilyn Christiano and Shelley Gollust. It was produced by Caty Weaver²⁴. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Faith Lapidus. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. We leave you now with a Lakota Sioux Indian song, "Heart is Sad, The Morning Song."

1 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 sculptor   

n.雕刻家，雕刻家

参考例句：

• A sculptor forms her material.雕塑家把材料塑造成雕塑品。
• The sculptor rounded the clay into a sphere.那位雕塑家把黏土做成了一个球状。

4 carvings   

n.雕刻( carving的名词复数 )；雕刻术；雕刻品；雕刻物

参考例句：

• The desk was ornamented with many carvings. 这桌子装饰有很多雕刻物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town. 贝雕是该城的特产。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

6 ceramic   

n.制陶业，陶器，陶瓷工艺

参考例句：

• The order for ceramic tiles has been booked in.瓷砖的订单已登记下来了。
• Some ceramic works of art are shown in this exhibition.这次展览会上展出了一些陶瓷艺术品。

7 jade   

n.玉石；碧玉；翡翠

参考例句：

• The statue was carved out of jade.这座塑像是玉雕的。
• He presented us with a couple of jade lions.他送给我们一对玉狮子。

8 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

9 tribe   

n.部落，种族，一伙人

参考例句：

• This is a subject tribe.这是个受他人统治的部落。
• Many of the tribe's customs and rituals are as old as the hills.这部落的许多风俗、仪式都极其古老。

10 colonial   

adj.殖民地的，关于殖民的；n.殖民地，居民

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• The people of Africa have successfully fought against colonial rule.非洲人民成功地反抗了殖民统治。

11 tribes   

n.部落( tribe的名词复数 )；（动、植物的）族；（一）帮；大群

参考例句：

• tribes living in remote areas of the Amazonian rainforest 居住在亚马孙河雨林偏远地区的部落
• In Africa the snake is still sacred with many tribes. 非洲许多部落仍认为蛇是不可冒犯的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

13 Arctic   

adj.北极的；n.北极

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• The sort of animal lived in the Arctic Circle.这种动物生活在北极圈里。

14 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

15 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

16 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

17 limestone   

n.石灰石

参考例句：

• Limestone is often used in building construction.石灰岩常用于建筑。
• Cement is made from limestone.水泥是由石灰石制成的。

18 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

19 grassy   

adj.盖满草的；长满草的

参考例句：

• They sat and had their lunch on a grassy hillside.他们坐在长满草的山坡上吃午饭。
• Cattle move freely across the grassy plain.牛群自由自在地走过草原。

20 meadows   

草地，牧场， （河边的）低洼地( meadow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The trail wends its way through leafy woodland and sunny meadows. 这条小径穿过葱郁的林区和洒满阳光的草地。
• They have railed the meadows off from the new railway cutting. 他们已用栏杆把草地和新铁道的路堑隔离开来。

21 squash   

n.壁球，摺皱不堪，拥挤嘈杂的人群，浓缩果汁，美国南瓜；vt.压扁，压制；vi.变扁，压榨

参考例句：

• He is drinking lemon squash.他正在喝柠檬露。
• She sprained her ankle playing squash.她在打软式墙网球时扭伤了脚踝。

22 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

23 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

24 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。