为什么印第安人不愿意自称为“美国原住民”：英语精读讲义

The first people who lived here named themselves across the continent in hundreds of languages

居住在这里的原住民在整个大陆上用数百种语言为自己命名，

the word for people or the first people was what they used.

他们使用的词语意为“人”或“第一批人”。

Other people existed to trade and talk and fight with,

存在其他族群可以用来进行贸易、交流和战斗，

but the continent was vast and travel slow.

但这片大陆幅员辽阔，且旅行缓慢。

There were no horses and wouldn't be for millennia. 語法

当时没有马，且数千年内都不会有。

No group could know all the others,

没有任何群体能认识所有其他群体，

so there was no single name for all.

因此并没有一个统一的称呼。

Then from across the sea came a new other people who brought with them great and terrible things. 語法

随后，从大洋彼岸来了一群新的“其他人”，他们带来了伟大而又可怕的事物。

They too had a name for themselves in their own language,

他们在自己的语言中也有自称，

but they also brought a name for the first people

但他们也为原住民带来了一个称呼——

Indians.

印第安人 (Indians)。

We are in the future from this past and you in the future from my present, 表達脈絡

相对于这个过去，我们处于未来；相对于我的现在，你们处于未来，

possibly the far future.

可能是遥远的未来。

And the word Indian may have just made you uncomfortable.

“印第安人”这个词可能刚让你感到不适。

So let's talk about words. 表達脈絡

所以让我们来谈谈词语。

Words are what we make them. 語法

词语的意义是我们赋予的。

Without the words surrounding them,

如果没有上下文的环绕，

without brains to interpret them,

如果没有大脑去解读，

words are but whispers of wind. 習語

词语不过是风中的低语。

It's a word's utility to the speaker and the reaction of the listener

正是词语对说话者的实用性以及听者的反应，

that causes words to be born and to live and to die. 表達脈絡

促使了词语的诞生、存活与消亡。

Long after its first use in the New World,

在“新大陆”首次使用这个词很久之后，

the early British and American Empires needed a word to collectively describe the first people

早期的大英帝国和美利坚帝国需要一个词来统称这些原住民，

and Indian despite its confused origins was that word. 語法

尽管“印第安人”起源混乱，但它正是那个词。

As the Empires expanded,

随着帝国的扩张，

there was terrible conflict.

爆发了可怕的冲突。

The first people found themselves decimated and scattered. 語法

原住民发现自己被大批屠杀，流离失所。

Many forcibly moved to reservations, 文化背景

许多人被强行迁移到保留地，

land unknown with others unknown,

在未知的土地上与未知的其他人相处，

needing to act as one new group to survive,

需要作为一个新的群体共同行动以求生存，

to hold on to any sovereignty. 短語動詞

以保住仅存的主权。

As the world progressed from horses to steam to electricity, 表達脈絡

随着世界从马匹过渡到蒸汽、再到电力，

the nature of conflict changed.

冲突的本质也发生了改变。

Fewer guns and germs, 表達脈絡

枪支和细菌变少了，

more minds and laws.

思想和法律变多了。

But the first people were now a tiny minority in the land

但原住民现在已成为这片土地上的极少数，

while also a multiplicity of groups.

同时又分为众多的群体。

For comparison, 表達脈絡

对比一下，

there are about 200 countries in the world.

世界上大约有200个国家。

Within the United States,

而在美国境内，

the reservations number more than 300.

保留地的数量超过了300个。

Within and without those areas of special sovereignty,

在这些拥有特殊主权的区域内外，

there are more than 500 federally recognized tribes, 文化背景

联邦政府承认的部落多达500多个，

each with a different name.

每个部落都有不同的名字。

To win the minds of the majority, 語法

为了赢得多数人的认同，

to get laws securing sovereignty,

为了制定保障主权的法律，

hundreds of different names for different groups is not helpful.

给不同群体起几百个不同的名字是毫无帮助的。

A collective name,

需要一个集体名称，

one clear in the minds of the majority,

一个在多数人心中清晰明了的名称，

was needed.

是必需的。

A name useful for unity.

一个有助于团结的名称。

In the time of civil rights, 文化背景

在民权运动时期，

American Indians shortened to Indians was,

从“美洲印第安人”简称为“印第安人”，

despite its confused origins,

尽管其起源混乱，

that name.

但它就是那个名字。

For words are what we make them, 表達脈絡

因为词语的意义是我们赋予的，

and we can unmake them.

我们也可以废除它们。

As I write this script looking at the past and toward you in the future,

当我写下这份回顾过去并面向你们未来的文案时，

I will bet that future history will unmake Indian in favor of Native American or something else. 短語搭配

我敢打赌，未来的历史将废弃“印第安人”，转而使用“美国原住民”或其他词语。

You know if this has happened.

你们自然知道这是否已经发生。

But here,

但是在这里，

as part of working on this series,

作为制作本系列视频的一部分，

I've traveled to many reservations to see them

我去过许多保留地进行实地考察，

and to talk to the people who live in them.

并与生活在那里的人们交谈。

On reservations,

在保留地里，

the word Indian is still used without hesitation or negative connotation, 用詞

“印第安人”这个词仍然被毫不犹豫地使用，没有任何贬义，

used as identity.

被用作一种身份认同。

Not universally, 表達脈絡

虽然不是绝对普遍，

but near it.

但也几乎如此了。

You,

你们，

like me,

也许和我一样，

may be surprised to hear that

听到这个可能会感到惊讶，

given the word's confused origins. 用詞

毕竟这个词的起源非常混乱。

But words are what we make them,

但词语的意义是我们赋予的，

and Indians have made the word theirs. 習語

而印第安人已经把这个词变成了他们自己的。

Now,

那么，

as for Native American, 表達脈絡

至于“美国原住民 (Native American)”这个词，

while preferred by some,

虽然有些人偏爱它，

there exists in others a strong dislike and resentment of the name.

但另一些人对这个称呼有着强烈的反感与厌恶。

The word created to explain this dislike was passed on to me, 短語動詞

别人传达了一个词来向我解释这种反感，

and the only way to explain fully is to pass it on to you.

而彻底解释清楚的唯一方法就是把它传达给你们。

So,

那么，

the dislike comes from overinclusivity.

这种反感来自于“过度包容”。

I know.

我懂，

I know.

我懂，

I know.

我懂。

But let's stay thoughtful 語氣意圖

但让我们保持思考，

and examine what this word was created to communicate.

审视一下创造这个词是为了传达什么。

For at least 300 years,

在至少300年的时间里，

Indian has meant the first people in this part of the world,

“印第安人”一直指的是这片世界上的第一批居民，

separated at first,

他们最初是分散的，

but thrust into a shared history. 習語

却被卷入了一段共同的历史。

It is clear, 表達脈絡

这个词很清晰，

it is sharp.

很锐利。

The word Native American less so.

“美国原住民”这个词就不那么锐利了。

It can include everyone from the top to bottom of two continents.

它可以包括两大洲从北到南的所有人。

A vast number of different cultures

包含了极其庞大的不同文化、

and current day goals and concerns.

以及当今的目标和关切。

The histories of North,

北美、

Central,

中美、

and South America

和南美的历史，

are as divergent as the histories of Asia, 語法

就像亚洲、

Europe,

欧洲、

and Africa.

和非洲的历史一样大相径庭。

To call a person from here,

如果把一个来自这里、

here,

这里、

or here

或这里的人

a Native Afro-Eurasian

称为“亚欧非原住民”，

would be so overinclusive 語法

那就太过度包容了，

as to make it difficult for that human to strongly identify with

以至于那个人很难产生强烈的认同感，

or rally others under.

也很难将其他人团结在这一称呼之下。

So it goes for Native American. 表達脈絡

“美国原住民”也是如此。

Additionally,

此外，

it can feel like yet another thing forced from the outside.

它会让人觉得这又是一个外界强加的东西。

Talking to people about this project over the last five years

在过去五年里与人们谈论这个项目时，

revealed a strong correlation.

我发现了一个强烈的相关性。

The closer a person had ever been to a reservation, 語法

一个人离保留地越近，

the more likely they would use Indian.

他们使用“印第安人”的可能性就越大。

The farther,

离得越远，

the more likely they would use the word Native American.

他们使用“美国原住民”一词的可能性就越大。

And that's understandable.

这是可以理解的。

Is Indian okay? 語氣意圖

说“印第安人”可以吗？

Maybe,

也许吧，

but Native American won't be wrong.

但说“美国原住民”肯定不会错。

And it's useful to express concern and sensitivity as an outsider.

作为一个局外人，表达出关心和敏感度是有益的。

But this creates an unstable balance between insider and outsider use of a word. 用詞

但这在圈内人和圈外人对一个词的使用之间造成了不稳定的平衡。

If the majority hesitates over a word,

如果多数人对一个词感到迟疑，

it slides into uncomfortability or worse. 習語

它就会沦为令人不适的词，甚至更糟。

If the majority decides a word is unacceptable,

如果多数人认为一个词不可接受，

so it becomes.

那么它就会变得不可接受。

Groups should be able to name themselves,

群体应该有权为自己命名，

but when they're small,

但当他们是小群体时，

they often can't.

他们往往做不到。

The word used to describe themselves

他们用来描述自己的词语，

outsiders through sheer numbers redefine.

会被圈外人凭借数量优势重新定义。

At the time of writing,

在写这篇文章的时候，

this is happening to Indian,

这种情况正发生在“印第安人”这个词上，

but the leading replacement is not as universally well regarded inside reservations as those outside may expect. 語法

但是，最主要的替代词在保留地内部并不像外界预期的那样受到普遍好评。

As we will talk about,

正如我们即将谈到的，

many things have been given to the first people,

很多东西曾被赋予原住民，

promises and rights and lands only once used and adopted by them

承诺、权利和土地，然而一旦他们使用并接受了，

to be taken away.

就又被夺走。

So it may go again.

所以历史可能会重演。

Thus, 表達脈絡

因此，

this series will use American Indian or Indian for three main reasons.

本系列将使用“美洲印第安人”或“印第安人”，主要有三个原因。

One,

第一，

the word is clear in geography and history,

这个词在地理和历史上的界定非常清晰，

limited to the first people of what is now the continental United States.

仅限于如今美国本土的原住居民。

Two,

第二，

the tribal governments and the United States government use Indian.

部落政府和美国政府都在使用“印第安人”。

The Bureau of Indian Affairs, 文化背景

印第安事务局，

staffed by Indians,

其工作人员也是印第安人，

which mediates between the two governments,

它在两个政府之间进行调解，

also uses Indian.

也使用“印第安人”一词。

To call governments and departments and laws by names other than what they are

如果用其他名字来称呼这些政府、部门和法律，

would be pointlessly confusing.

将会造成毫无意义的混淆。

Three,

第三，

at the time of writing,

在撰写本稿时，

Indian is used by Indians on Indian reservations to describe themselves.

印第安人保留地里的印第安人正是用“印第安人”来称呼自己的。

Okay,

好了，

we're well past that point where you hear a word so many times it starts to become meaningless. 語法

我们已经过了那个因为听太多遍某个词而觉得它失去意义的临界点了。

Fun fact,

有趣的是，

there's a word for that,

这种现象有个专门的名词，

semantic satiation. 用詞

叫做语义饱和。

Delightfully alliterative and will cause itself,

这个词在英语中押头韵很有趣，而且念多了也会引发自身的语义饱和，

but I leave that as an exercise to the viewer. 習語

这个就留给观众自己去体验吧。

This has been 1,300 words in an attempt to explain one. 表達脈絡

我用了1300个词来试图解释一个词。

That's complete.

解释完毕。

We can now move on to the next part.

我们现在可以进入下一部分了。