Voice one:
I'm Ricky Kleinfeld.
Voice 2:
This is Sarah Lang from the VOA Special English program The Formation of a Country, which is about American history. Today, we tell about the early Native Americans.
Voice one:
Scientists believe that Native Americans came here during the last ice age thousands of years ago. These people settled from the cold northern region to the extreme end of South America.
Scientists believe that Native Americans came to the American continent during the last ice age thousands of years ago. Archaeologists have found their footprints from the cold northern region to the southernmost tip of South America.
As these groups settled in different parts of this land, they developed their own language, culture and religion. The story of each group is very important in American history. However, perhaps the tribes in the central United States are the most recognized. They will be our stories today.
Indigenous people living in different areas have created their own unique language, culture and religion. The story of every native tribe is an important part of American history, but the most recognized by later generations is the native tribe who settled in the middle of the United States today.
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Voice 2:
1804, meriwether Lewis and william clark led a group of explorers to the Pacific Ocean. They were the first educated Americans to see some indigenous tribes on the Great Plains. They were the first white people these Native Americans had ever seen.
1804, the expedition led by Lewis and Clark arrived in the Pacific Ocean. They were the first educated Americans to meet indigenous tribes on the Great Plains, and the first white people to meet indigenous people.
When the expedition approached the eastern part of the Rocky Mountains, they met an Indian tribe called Shoshone. Meriwether lewis was the first person to see them.
Let's imagine that about 200 years ago, we were near the Rocky Mountains with meriwether lewis. Over a hill, a group of 60 Shoshoni people are riding towards us.
When Lewis and Clark reached the east side of the Rocky Mountain, about 60 Shoshone aborigines were riding towards them. They vividly recorded the scene at that time.
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Voice one:
The first thing we saw was that these people were ready for war. Everyone is equipped with a bow and an arrow. Some people carry long poles with a sharp knife at the end.
Our first reaction was that these people were ready for war. They all carry bows and arrows, and some carry poles with sharp knives at the top.
They ride very fast. Some horses seem to have no riders. But careful observation shows that these people are hanging on both sides of the horse, or under the neck of the horse. They use the horse's body as protection.
They ride very fast, and there seems to be no one on some horseback. If you look closely, you will find that the riders are all attached to the horse's stomach or hung under the horse's neck, using the horse's body as a cover.
These horses are painted with many different patterns, blue, black, red or other colors. Later, we learned that each pattern has a special meaning to the owner of the horse. Each one tells a story.
The horses were painted with colorful patterns. Later, we learned that each pattern has a different meaning and has special significance to the owner of the horse.
For example, a man riding a horse is a leader in a battle. The other killed the enemy in the battle. One of the designs protects horses and riders.
For example, one of them is the commander-in-chief of the battle, and the other has killed the enemy in the battle. One of the patterns can protect the safety of horses and riders.
Voice 2:
As they got closer, Shoshoni Group saw that we were not ready for war. They slowed down the horse, but they were still very careful. Meriwether lewis raised an open hand as a sign of peace. So is the leader of Shoshoni. They are getting closer and closer.
When these Shoshone riders approached, they saw that we didn't look like we were going to fight, so they slowed down, but they were still very careful. Lewis raised a hand as a sign of peace. The leader of the Shoshone made the same gesture and replied. The two sides continue to move closer.
Shoshoni people wear clothes made of animal skins. Most of these skins come from deer or American buffalo. The shirts they wear have many designs and tell stories like the designs of horses. One shows a man who fought in a battle. The other shows a man who has made several raids to catch horses. Another video shows that this man saved a friend's life.
Shoshone people wear clothes made of animal skins, mostly deerskin or buffalo hide. Their shirts have different patterns and meanings, which can show that someone has participated in combat, participated in many horseback raids, or saved a friend's life.
Voice one:
Captain Lewis glared at these people. He made another gesture of peace. These signs have now been returned. Chief Lewis and Shoshone don't speak each other's language. They can communicate by gestures.
Lewis smiled at these people and made a gesture of peace, and the Shoshone did the same. Chief Lewis and Shoshone can't speak this language, but they can communicate through gestures.
Voice 2:
A young Shoshone man came along. He fell from his horse to the ground. He is tall and looks strong. His hair is black and long. He wears a long bird hair at the back of his hair. Some of his hair was fixed by animal fur.
A young Shoshone turned and dismounted. He is tall and strong, with long black hair tied with animal skins and a long feather stuck in his back.
His arm was painted with long lines. We know that each line represents a battle. There are many lines. But we left Shoshoni without him to add another one.
There are many long lines on his arm, and each line represents a battle. But in our experience, the two sides didn't meet each other this time.
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Voice one:
The Shoshone are just one of many indigenous tribes living in the Great Plains. The life, culture and society of these tribes have developed because of their homeland.
We talked about that an hour ago, Lewis and Clark's expedition first met Shoshone, an indigenous tribe in the history of the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC). In fact, the Shoshone are just one of many indigenous tribes on the Great Plains. The life, culture and social form of these tribes all have the characteristics of the Great Plains.
Today's great plains are still very big. Even in a car with a speed of100km, it takes two days to cross the Great Plains. These plains extend from hundreds of kilometers in northern Canada through the central part of the continent to Mexico in the south. In the east, the Great Plains starts near the Mississippi River and extends westward to the huge Rocky Mountains. It is the center of America.
Until today, the great plains are endless. Even if you sit in a car with a speed of 100 kilometers per hour, it will take you two whole days to cross the great plains. The Great Plains starts from Canada in the north, reaches Mexico in the south, reaches the Mississippi River in the east and the Rocky Mountains in the west, and is the central part of the United States.
There are rivers, deserts and mountains here. Other areas are very flat, and one person can see hundreds of kilometers. Millions of kilometers of this land were once covered by a thick grassland.
There are rivers, deserts and mountains on the great plains, and the rest are endless grasslands.
Voice 2:
These grasses provide food for animals, which makes the culture of plains indian possible. These grasses feed the bison. Buffalo is the cultural center of plains indian.
Grassland fattens buffalo, which is the core element of indigenous Indian culture in the Great Plains.
This huge animal provided the Indians with meat. But it's not just food. This is an important part of most indigenous religions in the Great Plains.
Buffalo not only provides food for Indians, but also is an important part of most Indian religions in the Great Plains.
Lakota tribe is a nation in the Great Plains. Lakota people are sometimes called Sioux. They believe that buffalo has everything necessary for life. Another plain tribe, Blackfoot, called this animal "my home and my protection"
Sioux Indian tribes believe that all necessities of life can be found in Buffalo. Another Indian tribe called Buffalo. My home and protector. & amprdquo
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Voice one:
The back of the giant buffalo provides thick skin, which is used to build homes for the plains Indians. Other parts are made into clothes. Other parts turned into warm blankets. Buffalo bones are made into tools. This animal is not wasted at all.
The thick skin on the back of the cow can be used as a tent, the other skins can be used as clothes and blankets, and the bones of the cow can be used as tools, so that no part of the buffalo will be wasted.
No one knows how many bison there were in North America when meriwether lewis first met the Shoshone. But experts say the number may be between 60 million and 75 million.
No one knows how many buffaloes were on the North American continent when Lewis met the Shoshone. Experts estimate that there may be about 60 to 75 million buffaloes.
Voice 2:
Another animal also makes the Indian culture of the Great Plains possible. Native Americans first called these animals mysterious dogs or big dogs. There are no words about this animal in their language. We call it a horse.
Another animal also played an important role in the culture of Indian tribes in the Great Plains. At that time, the indigenous Indians called this animal a big dog, but in fact it was a horse.
There were no horses in North America before the Spanish arrived in what is now the southern United States in the16th century. Indigenous people hunt, move and travel on foot. It is difficult to travel long distances, and so is hunting bison.
/kloc-Before the Spanish came to the present southern United States in the 6th century, there were no horses on the North American continent. Native Indians hunt and move on foot, and it is hard to travel long distances, not to mention hunting buffaloes.
This horse has greatly changed the lives of all people on the Great Plains. This gives them a way to travel. It provides a way to transport food and equipment. This makes it easier and safer to track and hunt bison. This horse makes it possible to attack distant enemies and return safely. The number of horses owned becomes a measure of a tribe's wealth.
The appearance of horses has completely changed their lives, provided them with convenient transportation, and made it easier to track and kill buffalo. With horses, Indians can attack distant enemies and return safely. The number of horses owned used to be a measure of tribal wealth.
Voice one:
Spanish colonists rode to Santa Fe, now southwest New Mexico. They arrived there in about 1609.
Spanish colonists rode to Santa Fe, a small town in New Mexico in the southwest of the United States, about 1609.
I wonder how the aborigines in Santa Fe got the first horses in this country. Maybe they traded for them. Maybe they caught them in an attack. Many tribes soon began to trade and catch horses.
No one knows how the natives of Santa Fe got their first horse. Maybe they exchanged it for something. Maybe they attacked and robbed it. Importantly, before long, many Indian tribes began to buy and sell horses.
By the150s of the 7th century, all tribes on the Great Plains had horses. They have become experts in breeding, training and riding. They became experts in horse medicine.
By A.D. 1750, all tribes on the Great Plains had horses, and these Indians became experts in raising, training and riding horses.
Every Indian on the Great Plains can ride a horse when he is five years old. As a lover, a young man will have a special horse to work. The other horse will be trained to hunt. The other will be trained in war. The success of an Indian warrior depends on how closely he cooperates with his horse.
Indians on the Great Plains learned to ride horses when they were five years old. When they grow up, every young man has several horses for work, hunting and fighting. The success of an Indian soldier depends largely on the close cooperation between him and his mount.
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Voice 2:
George Catlin is an artist who traveled to many places in the early American West. He painted many beautiful pictures of American Indians. Mr. Catlin said that the plains Indians are the greatest riders in the world. He said that when an Indian rider puts his hand on his horse, he becomes a part of the horse.
Carlin was an early American artist. He has been to many places in the west and painted many works about Indians. According to him, the Indians on the Great Plains are the best riders in the world. The moment the Indian put his hand on the horse, he became one with the horse.
Voice one:
Buffalo and horses are extremely important to plains Indians. Because horses make hunting easier, more time can be spent on things like art. Plain Indians began to make designs on their clothes and special blankets worn by their horses. Even ordinary objects are painted with patterns.
Buffalo and horses are very important to Indians on the Great Plains. The appearance of horses simplified hunting and gave Indians more time to beautify their lives. They began to design patterns on horses' clothes and blankets, even on the most commonly used items.
Voice 2:
The arrival of white colonists in the Great Plains was the beginning of the end of American Indian cattle and horse culture. The settlers didn't want buffalo to destroy their crops. The bison was killed. By 1885, most of the Indians on the Great Plains were confined to land called reservations.
The arrival of white colonists marked the end of American Indian buffalo and horse culture. The settlers didn't want buffalo to destroy their crops, so they began to slaughter buffalo. By 1885, most Indians on the Great Plains were driven to the reservation.
Voice one:
Many surviving Great Plains tribes try to maintain their traditional culture. They produce works of art, music and clothing. They will always remember these people who made great contributions to American history.
Many tribes that have survived to this day are trying to preserve their traditional culture. Through art, music and clothing, they passed on the culture of their ancestors who made great contributions to American history.
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Voice 2:
This program was written by Paul Thompson. This is Sarah Lang.
Voice one:
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This is Ricky Kleinfeld. Join us again next week in VOA Special English about American history.