英语听力—环球英语 1318 Keeping History: Winter Counts

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Adam Navis.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand - no matter where in the world they live.

 

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　　The year the stars fell.

 

　　The year of the last great buffalo² hunt.

 

　　The year the horse came.

 

　　The year corn grew.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　How do you know about your past? Did your parents or grandparents tell you stories? Did you read about your history in a book? Are there documents and records about your people? Are there pictures showing how your people lived?

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　In North America, the Lakota Native Americans have kept their history in a very particular way. They tell stories about the past. And they record particular information in special records. These records are called Winter Counts. Today’s Spotlight is on the Lakota Winter Counts.

 

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　　The name Lakota means “friend.” The Lakota people live on the northern plains of North America. They are part of the Sioux nation. They speak Sioux as their language.

 

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　　The history of the Lakota people is a story of survival³. The tribe⁴ used their land’s natural resources to live. They planted crops in the fields. And they hunted in the forests. They were a settled people until the arrival of white Europeans and horses. After the arrival of the horse, the Lakota people became nomads⁵. They travelled from place to place. They followed groups of buffalo. The buffalo was a large animal - and it was the Lakota’s greatest resource. The buffalo provided⁶ food, tools and skin for clothing and building shelter. The Lakota felt that they shared the Earth as equal partners with animals, especially the buffalo.

 

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　　Towards the end of the 1800s, Europeans and warring tribes⁷ forced the Lakota people off their land. They moved west. There, they continued their traditions. And they continued to keep their own history. They recorded this history in a special way.

 

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　　Long ago, the Lakota did not have a written language or a calendar, to record their yearly⁸ events. So, the people created what they called waniyetu wowapi. In English it means “winter count.” Waniyetu is the word for year. The Lakota people measured a year from first snowfall to first snowfall. And wowapi means anything that is marked on a flat surface.

 

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　　The Lakota marked the passing of time by drawing pictures of special events. The people travelled in small groups. The Lakota word for the group was tiyospaye. Tiyospaye were usually made up of family members or people who lived close to each other. Each tiyospaye chose one person to draw the pictures. This person was the keeper.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The keeper was usually a male leader. However, in the 20th century women started to keep the winter count too. The keeper’s job passed down from one family member to another. Each year the keeper would meet with other tiyospaye leaders. Together, they would choose one event from the year. Then they would name the year after that special event.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　For example, in November of 1833 there was a large meteor shower. The meteors entering the atmosphere looked like stars were flying across the sky. Many Lakota groups living in different areas experienced⁹ this same event. Many keepers added the event to their own winter counts. The name of that year was “the year the stars fell.”

 

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　　Pepper Young is a Lakota living in the United States. His grandmother was a winter count keeper. Before she died, she told Pepper stories from her winter count. She told Pepper the story about the year the stars fell. Pepper told the story on the Smithsonian website.

 

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　　“There was one entry that was called either the night the stars fell or the night the sky went crazy. What was interesting is that she said the people were afraid. It was the first time the people had ever seen that. They did not know what it meant. As time went on the people got used to it until it disappeared. My mother told me that it was probably a comet¹⁰.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　After the keeper chose the event, he or she would draw a symbol or picture that represented that special event. For example, for the year the stars fell, many winter counts had pictures of stars. The keepers often drew the pictures of the event on the dried skins of animals. But, as time went on, the materials changed. Soon the keepers were drawing their winter counts on paper.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The keepers of the winter count had to copy the pictures again and again. That is because the pictures would start to get old and disappear. Or, after many years, the keeper needed more space to include more pictures. The tribes copied the winter counts almost exactly over many years. But, recopying did lead to some problems. A new keeper may have chosen to record a different event for a particular year. Or, he may have drawn¹¹ a different idea from the same event. So, the winter count would change.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　In the 19th century the winter counts changed in a different way. Many of the Lakota people were learning¹² to write in their own language. Some of the keepers began adding words under the pictures of their winter counts. They would include the name of the year with the picture. As time went on, some winter counts only had written year names. There were no more pictures.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Many winter counts have been lost or destroyed over the years. Families stopped keeping the count. Sometimes, families sold their winter counts. Now the Lakota people and the Smithsonian Museum are trying to collect and protect the surviving winter counts. This will save the Lakota history for all people.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　For many years Pepper’s grandmother’s winter count was lost. His grandmother sold it, because the family was very poor. But recently Pepper found that his grandmother’s winter count is in an art gallery. It is safe. Pepper told the Smithsonian,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“Right now my grandmother’s winter count is somewhere in Pheonix, Arizona, in some art gallery. I asked about it and they said that it is not in a show case. But they keep it safe there. If I could see it today I would probably start crying. I think that is my last link to my grandmother, Theresa. I would love to see it before my time is up. That is why I am trying to get it back for my grandchildren.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The writer of this program was Rebekah Schipper. The producer was Mark Drenth. The voices you heard were from the United States. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. You can find our programs on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called ‘Keeping History: Winter Counts’.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

3 survival   

n.留住生命，生存，残存，幸存者

参考例句：

• The doctor told my wife I had a fifty-fifty chance of survival.医生告诉我的妻子，说我活下去的可能性只有50%。
• The old man was a survival of a past age.这位老人是上一代的遗老。

4 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。

5 nomads   

n.游牧部落的一员( nomad的名词复数 )；流浪者；游牧生活；流浪生活

参考例句：

• For ten years she dwelled among the nomads of North America. 她在北美游牧民中生活了十年。
• Nomads have inhabited this region for thousands of years. 游牧民族在这地区居住已有数千年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。

7 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》

8 yearly   

adj.每年的，一年一度的；adv.一年一次地

参考例句：

• The flower show is a yearly event in our town.我们镇上的花展一年举行一次。
• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。

9 experienced   

adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好，你比我更有经验。

10 comet   

n.慧星

参考例句：

• Recently they have discovered a comet.最近他们发现了一颗彗星。
• Halley's Comet is going to come back in 2061.哈雷彗星将于2061年回归。

11 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

12 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。