每日英語 #080: The Significance of Colors and Directions in Nati

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The Significance of Colors and Directions in Native American Culture

Many “Native American” (the descendants of the people who lived in North America before European settlers arrived) “tribes” (large groups of people who live together) associate or connect colors with “cardinal directions” (north, south, east, and west). These colors are often “symbolic of” (representing) different “concepts” (ideas).

許多“美洲原住民”（在歐洲移民到達前居住在北美的人的後裔）“部落”（一起生活的大群人）將顏色與“方位”（東、西、南、北）聯繫起來，這些顏色通常“象徵”（代表）不同的“概念”（思想）。

Although it is difficult to “generalize” (make statements that are true about all members of a group) about Native Americans, since each tribe is very different, many tribes have a “medicine wheel,” or a visual way to represent their “spirituality” (beliefs and faith). The medicine wheel “encompasses” (includes; covers) the four cardinal directions and the four “sacred” (holy; having religious and/or spiritual significance) colors, although the colors and meanings vary “significantly” (a lot) among tribes. Here is a description of one medicine wheel:

儘管很難對美洲原住民“概括”（做出適用於所有成員的陳述），因為每個部落都非常不同，許多部落都有一種“藥輪”，即用來代表他們“靈性”（信仰和信念）的一種視覺方式。藥輪“包含”（包括）四個方位和四個“神聖的”（神聖的；具有宗教和/或精神意義的）顏色，儘管顏色和意義在部落之間差異很大。以下是一個藥輪的描述：

• Red represents the East. It also is used to show “triumph” (winning) and success.
  紅色代表東方，也用來象徵“勝利”（winning）和成功。
• Blue represents the North. It is also used to show “defeat” (losing), “trouble” (problems or danger), and sadness.
  藍色代表北方，也用來象徵“失敗”（losing）、“困難”（problems or danger）和悲傷。
• Black represents the West. It is also used to show death.
  黑色代表西方，也用來象徵死亡。
• White represents the South. It is also used to show “tranquility” (calmness), happiness, and peace.
  白色代表南方，也用來象徵“安寧”（calmness）、快樂和和平。

Some Native American tribes use other colors for three additional directions. The following colors are used in the same medicine wheel described above:

一些美洲原住民部落為另外三個方向使用其他顏色。在上述藥輪中使用的顏色如下：

• Yellow is used to represent anything up above. 黃色用來代表上方的一切。
• Brown is used to represent anything down below. 棕色用來代表下方的一切。
• Green is used to represent the center. 綠色用來代表中心。

重點單字

• Native American 美洲原住民 /ˈneɪtɪv əˈmerɪkən/
• Tribes 部落 /traɪbz/
• Cardinal directions 方位 /ˈkɑːrdɪnəl dəˈrekʃənz/
• Symbolic of 象徵 /sɪmˈbɒlɪk əv/
• Concepts 概念 /ˈkɒnsepts/
• Generalize 概括 /ˈdʒenərəlaɪz/
• Medicine wheel 藥輪 /ˈmedɪsɪn wiːl/
• Spirituality 靈性 /ˌspɪrɪtʃuˈæləti/
• Encompasses 包含 /ɪnˈkʌmpəsɪz/
• Sacred 神聖的 /ˈseɪkrɪd/
• Significantly 顯著地 /sɪɡˈnɪfɪkəntli/
• Triumph 勝利 /ˈtraɪʌmf/
• Defeat 失敗 /dɪˈfiːt/
• Trouble 困難 /ˈtrʌbəl/
• Tranquility 安寧 /træŋˈkwɪlɪti/