Understanding American Indian culture

江苏白蒲高级中学 宗越琴

一提到印第安文化你会想到什么呢？是头饰还是图腾？而美国的国立美国印第安人博物馆给我们展示了印第安文化更为丰富的一面。到底有什么呢？我们一起来看看吧。

题材 历史文化 体裁 记叙文文章词数361 难度 ★★ 建议用时6′

难 词 扫 障

1.federally adv.联邦地；同盟地

2.headdress n.头饰；头巾

3.totem n.图腾

The National Museum of the American Indian（NMAI）in Washington，D.C.offers a deep understanding of the richness and complexity of native culture. NMAI， which is part of the Smithsonian Institution，has more than 800，000 artifacts from the Arctic to Tierra del Fuego，the southernmost tip of South America．

While advancing our knowledge and understanding of American Indian cultures， the museum also partners with native people to ensure that their sacred history is preserved．

During a recent visit to the museum， I spoke with education specialist Renée Gokey.“NMAI，”she said，“American Indian traditions and art，and helps destroy stereotypes.”

There are 573 federally recognized tribes in the United States and more than 3 million Native Americans living in the US.I'm a member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe.I live in Maryland，while most of my Apache relatives live on our reservation in New Mexico.I'm just a normal kid who does the same things as other kids，like soccer，art projects，and reading.I also participate in our tribal ceremonies sometimes．

Even though I don't live on our reservation，I still like to learn about my culture.At the museum，I got to see ancient playing cards，made of animal hide，wihch were from my tribe．

Gokey said that many people have misunderstandings about American Indians that are based on snapshots or stereotypical images in popular culture. “Visitors might expect to see headdresses and totem poles，”she said， “or a timeline of the few cultures they can name from having seen them on TV Westerns.”

But the museum offers a lot more，including contemporary art and modern American objects with native symbolism or figures，including jewelry， a motorcycle， advertisements， and paintings.Even the elevators are designed with images of birds to convey flight．

NMAI also showcases the wisdom of American Indian cultures and how they have protected natural resources and the land for centuries．

According to Gokey， the museum must carefully preserve its objects and keep certain pieces out of the light to protect them. “We bring in native people to help us care for these objects as living ancestors，”Gokey said.“They may even conduct ceremonies for them.”

Reading Check

1.Which of the following can replace the underlined word“showcase”?

A.Expose. B.Explore. C.Display. D.Discover.

2.Many people have misunderstandings about American Indians because ．

A.they like headdresses and totem poles

B.they are influenced by stereotypical images

C.they can name a timeline of the few cultures

D.they haven't seen American Indians in reality

Language Study

介绍“确保……”的多种表达

1.make sure

I made sure I sounded calm but my mind was racing.我确保自己听上去很镇定，但脑子飞快地转着。

2.ensure

Great pains have been taken to ensure the safety of passengers.为了确保乘客的安全，我们付出了很大努力。

3.see to（it that）

You will have to see to it that all the windows are shut when you leave.当你离开时，你要确保所有的窗户都关好了。