来源：《基督科学箴言报》
原文刊登日期：2022年2月24日
What did the Americas look like before Europeans arrived? Many of us were taught that the first white explorers encountered unspoiled wilderness. Sure, Indigenous peoples had thrived here for millennia, but their harmonious relationship with the land had left the surrounding ecosystems unsullied.
欧洲人到来之前，美洲是什么样子的？我们中的许多人被告知，第一批白人探险家遇到了未受破坏的荒野。当然，土著民族在这里繁衍了数千年，但他们与土地的和谐关系使周围的生态系统没有受到污染。
In recent decades, however, a different narrative has emerged, as scholars have added nuance to our understanding of pre-Colonial America. This new perspective depicts Native communities as active landscapers who altered forests, planted fields, and otherwise mastered the land.
然而，近几十年来，随着学者们对殖民前的美国有了更加细致的理解，出现了一种不同的说法。这一新视角将土著社区描述为活跃的景观设计师，他们改变了森林、种植了农田，并以其他方式控制了土地。
This view fleshes out the portraits of these early Americans, who have long been portrayed as simplistic hunter-gatherers. The reality is likely more varied across time periods, tribes, and individuals. This history kindles hope for conservationists because it challenges the idea that civilization can only thrive at the expense of the environment.
这种观点充实了早期美国人的形象，长期以来，他们一直被描绘成单纯的狩猎采集者。实际情况更可能因时间、部落和个人的不同而不同。这段历史给环保主义者带来了希望，因为它挑战了文明只能以牺牲环境为代价才能繁荣的观念。
At the same time, leaps in geospatial technology and the globalized flow of ideas have sharpened our understanding of the stewardship role that Indigenous communities play today. At 370 million strong, the world’s Indigenous peoples make up less than 5% of the total population. Yet, they currently care for nearly a quarter of the planet’s land, including 80% of global biodiversity.
与此同时，地理空间技术的飞跃和思想的全球化流动使我们更加了解土著社区今天发挥的管理作用。土著人民有3.7亿之多，占世界总人口的不到5%。然而，它们目前保护着地球上近四分之一的土地，包括全球80%的生物多样性。
These two threads are starting to knit together. The stereotypical idea that Indigenous peoples have an inherent harmony with the natural world that others can’t understand has begun to fall away. In its place has grown a recognition of Indigenous wisdom rooted in tens of thousands of years of trial and error.
这两条线开始连接在一起了。认为土著民族与自然世界有着其他人无法理解的内在和谐的刻板观念已经开始消失。取而代之的是对土著民族智慧的认可，这种智慧根植于数万年的试验和错误之中。
“Indigenous peoples have mastered the art of living on the Earth without destroying it. They continue to teach and lead by example,” Jon Waterhouse, Indigenous peoples scholar at the Oregon Health and Science University, told National Geographic in 2018. “We must heed these lessons and take on this challenging task, if we want our grandchildren to have a future.”
“土著人民已经掌握了在地球上生活而不破坏环境的艺术。他们继续亲身示范，以身作则，”俄勒冈健康与科学大学土著民族学者乔恩·沃特豪斯2018年在接受《国家地理》采访时表示。“如果我们想让我们的孙辈有个未来，我们就必须汲取这些教训，承担起这项具有挑战性的任务。”
The stakes are clear: Some 300,000 square miles of the world’s forests have disappeared since 1990, and many scientists believe we are in the midst of a sixth extinction event. But the global conservation community is finding new hope for the future as it begins to welcome Indigenous communities as partners.
利害关系是显而易见的：自1990年以来，世界上约有30万平方英里的森林消失了，许多科学家认为，我们正处于第六次物种灭绝事件之中。但是，随着全球环保组织开始欢迎土著社区成为合作伙伴，他们正在为未来寻找新的希望。