Narrator: Listen to part of a lecture in an Anthropology class.

旁白：听一段人类学课堂上的讲座。

Prof: So we've been discussing 16th century Native American life, and today we are gonna focus on the Iroquois and Huron peoples.

教授：我们一直都在讨论16世纪美洲原住民的生活，今天我们准备来讨论一下Iroquois和Hoora人。

Um...They lived in the northeastern great lakes region of North America.

他们住在北美东北地区的五大湖区。

Now, back then, their lives depended on the natural resources of the forests, especially the birch tree.

当时他们的生活主要依赖森林中的自然资源，尤其是白桦树。

The birch tree can grow in many different types of soils and is prevalent in that area.

白桦树可以在很多中土壤中生长并且在那个区域十分盛行。

Now can anyone here describe a birch tree?

有没有人能描述一下白桦树？

Male student: Um, they are tall and white, the bark, I mean.

男学生：它们很高，树皮很白。

Prof: Yes.

教授：是的。

The birch tree has white bark, and this tough protective outer layer of the tree, this white bark, is waterproof.

桦树有着白色的树皮，这种坚硬的保护外皮是防水的。

And this waterproof quality of the bark, it made it useful for making things like cooking containers, a variety of utensils.

而这样的特性使得白桦树可以用作烹饪器具，各种各样的器具。

And if you peel birch bark in the winter, we call it “the winter bark”, another layer, a tougher inner layer of the tree adheres to the bark, producing a stronger material.

如果你在冬天剥去白桦树的树皮，我们叫它“冬树皮”，另外一层更加坚硬的紧贴树皮的树层可以生产出更强硬的材料。

So the winter bark was used for larger utensils and containers.

所以冬树皮就作为更大的器具和容器了。

Male student: I know people make utensils out of wood, but utensils out of tree bark?

男学生：嗯，我知道人们用木头做器具，但是用树皮做器皿？

Prof: Well, birch bark is pliable and very easy to bend.

教授：是这样，桦树皮柔韧性很强极易弯曲。

The Native Americans would cut the bark and fold it into any shape they needed, then secure it with cords until it dried.

美洲原住民经常切断树皮并且把它们折成各种需要的形状，然后再用绳子固定，直到它们彻底干燥下来。

They could fold the bark into many shapes.

他们能把树皮做成千奇百怪的形状。

Female student: So if they cooked in bowls made of birch bark, wouldn't that make the food taste funny?

女学生：那么他们要是用桦树皮做成的碗做饭，食物的味道是不是会尝起来怪怪的？

Prof: Oh, that's one of the great things about birch bark.

教授：这恰恰是桦树皮的一大优点。

The taste of the birch tree doesn't get transferred to the food.

桦树皮的味道并不会浸到食物里面。

So it was perfect for cooking containers.

所以它可以作为理想的炊具。

But the most important use of the bark, by far, was the canoe.

但是树皮最重要的用途是作为独木舟。

Since the northeast region of North American is interconnected by many streams and waterways, water transportation by vessels like a canoe was most essential.

由于北美的东北区域处在河流航道交汇的地带，水上运输像独木舟这样的船运就显得尤为重要。

The paths through the woods were often overgrown, so water travel was much faster.

通过树林的小径通常是航道，因此水行要快很多。

And here's what the Native Americans did.

美洲原住人是这么做的。

They would peel large sheets of bark from the tree to form lightweight yet sturdy canoes.

他们削掉大块的树皮做成轻而坚固的独木舟。

The bark was stretched over frames made from tree branches, stitched together and sealed with resin.

树皮在用树枝做好的框架中进行延展，然后缝合在一起通过树脂密封好。

You know that sticky liquid that comes out of the tree?

就是那些从树中流出的黏黏的液体？

And when it dries, it's watertight.

当它干了以后不漏水。

One great thing about these birch bark canoes was, uh, they could carry a large amount of cargo.

这种桦树皮独木舟的一大优点就是它们可以载大量的货物。

For example, a canoe weighing about 50 pounds could carry up to nine people and 250 pounds of cargo.

比如说，一只木舟可以载到50磅大约9人的重量加上250磅的货物。

Female student: Wow! But how far could they travel that way?

女学生：太妙了！但是这样的话它们能开多远？

Prof: Well like I said, the northeastern region is interconnected by rivers and streams and the ocean at the coast.

教授：嗯就像我说的，东北地区处在河流汇集区域并且临海。

The canoes allow them to travel over a vast area that today would take a few hours to fly over.

这些木舟使得他们可以穿越大面积区域，这样大的区域在今天坐飞机都要几个小时才能走完。

You see, the Native Americans made canoes of all types, for travel on small streams or on large open ocean waters.

你们知道，美洲原住人做的木舟有多种类型，既有可以在河中行进的又有可以在海中航行的。

For small streams, they made narrow, maneuverable boats, while, while larger canoes were needed for the ocean.

对于小的溪流他们会做一些窄的，操作自如的小船，而那些大船则用于航海。

They could travel throughout the area only occasionally having to portage, to carry the canoe over a land short distance to another nearby stream.

他们在大部分区域内都可航行仅仅偶尔需要陆上运输，比如说把木舟带到另一条附近的溪流。

And since the canoes were so light, this wasn't a difficult task.

由于木舟很轻，这并不是什么困难的事情。

Now how do you think this affected their lives?

现在你们想想这些会怎样影响他们的生活？

Female student: Well if they could travel so easily over such a large area, they could trade with people from other areas which I guess would lead them to form alliances?

女学生：嗯如果他们很轻易的就可以航行这么广阔的区域，那么这可以使他们和其他部落的人交易并且形成联盟？

Prof: Exactly.

教授：没错。

Having an efficient means of transportation, well, that helps the Iroquois to form a federation linked by natural waterways.

有了如此便利的交通运输工具，这就使得他们可以通过自然航道形成联盟。

And this federation expanded from what is now Southern Canada all the way south to the Dalever River.

而这样的联盟从加拿大南部一直到达拉瓦河。

And this efficiency of the birch bark canoe also made an impression on newcomers to the area.

这样高效的桦树皮木舟同样给这个区域新来的人以深刻的影响。

French traders in the 17th century modeled their... well they adopted the design of the Iroquois birch bark canoes, and they found they could travel great distances more than 1500 kilometers a month.

17世纪的法国商人采取Iroquois人的桦树皮木舟制造了自己的船，他们发现这样使得他们每月航行的距离超过了1500公里。

Now besides the bark, Native Americans also used the wood of the birch tree.

除了树皮，美洲原住人还使用了桦树的木材。

The young trees were used as supports for lodgings, with the waterproof bark used as roofing.

年头少的树被做成房间；防水的树皮被作为屋顶。

Branches were folded into snowshoes.

树枝则被折叠成雪地靴。

And the Native American people were all adept at running very fast over the snow in these birch branch snowshoes, which if you ever tried walking in snowshoes you know it wasn't easy.

他们都可以非常娴熟的在雪上跑得很快，如果你有机会穿上雪鞋的话就会发现在雪上走并不是那么简单的事情。