野牛的灭绝与大平原印第安人的命运

Extermination of the Buffalo and the Destiny of the Indians on the Great Plain

野牛是美国西部大平原地区最重要的一种动物 ,曾对人类的生活产生过直接的影响 ,更与印第安人的生存息息相关。在内战后的西部开拓中 ,白人移居者对野牛进行了野蛮的屠杀 ,致使野牛灭绝。与此同时 ,白人拓居者在美国政府的支持下推行种族灭绝政策 ,导致失去生活所依的印第安人陷入了严重的生存危机。这种残暴和不义之举是无可挽回的历史失误。

The buffalo was the mostimportantspeciesanimals on the Great Plain.Historically the buffalo made a greatim- pact on the human life,and the existence of the Plains Indians wasclosely bound up with the buffalo.During the develop- ment of the American West the white emigrants slaughtered the buffalo so savagely that this animal became nearly ex- tinct after the Civil War.As the white men pursued the genocidal policy with the supportof the American Governmnet, the Indians lostthe necessities of the life and gotbogged down in a serious crisis forexistence.This inhuman action is an irretrievable faultin history.Introspection of this period of history still has an important significance today