美国国家公共电台 NPR Film 'Te Ata' Tells Real Life Story Of Prolific Native American Performer

 

LAKSHMI SINGH, HOST:

The film "Te Ata" tells the true story of Mary Thompson Fisher, who is considered one of the greatest Native American performers. And it was produced by the Chickasaw Nation, which started a film production arm to tell its own stories, as Graham Lee Brewer¹ reports.

GRAHAM LEE BREWER, BYLINE²: The film "Te Ata" begins when Mary Thompson Fisher was a little girl growing up in pre-statehood Oklahoma, before she took the stage name Te Ata and traveled the world telling the stories of native peoples. Screenwriter Jeannie Barbour recalled that shortly after joining the Chickasaw Nation's multimedia³ department, she met Te Ata just before her death in 1995 at the age of 99.

JEANNIE BARBOUR: She was just an elegant lady. Even at her advanced age, she was just beautiful. And she was decked out in this wonderful Seminole skirt. And she had a little crown in her hair. And she just commanded the room.

BREWER: For Barbour, who is Chickasaw, the chance to bring the story of one of her people's greatest figures, as well as a personal hero of hers, to the big screen was exciting. It also gave her an opportunity to push back against the stereotype⁴ of indigenous⁵ peoples in Hollywood she and many Native Americans have long despised.

BARBOUR: It is frustrating⁶ to see those stereotypes⁷ continue even today when we know that they are wrong yet Hollywood continues to perpetuate⁸.

BREWER: Gil Birmingham, a Comanche actor who has been in such films as "Twilight⁹" and "The Lone¹⁰ Ranger," played Te Ata's father in the film. For Birmingham, working on a film written and produced by the very tribe it portrays¹¹ was a gratifying experience.

GIL BIRMINGHAM: Hollywood will take its licenses¹² with characters and storylines, but it's so much more encouraging and inspiring to hear the stories told from a tribe that originated the stories from the beginning.

BREWER: Director Nathan Frankowski, who is also directing the tribe's next film, "The Chickasaw Rancher," said the story of "Te Ata" itself is relevant to the current discussion about native representation in popular culture. He pointed¹³ specifically to a scene in which Te Ata, played by Q'orianka Kilcher, enters a movie theater in 1920s New York and sees a cartoon depicting¹⁴ Native Americans as savage¹⁵ brutes¹⁶.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "TE ATA")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) (Unintelligible)

(LAUGHTER)

NATHAN FRANKOWSKI: Here she is trying to present Native American culture, and yet, it's just thrown in her face what people think of Native Americans. And so she comes head-to-head with our culture. So she had to take the reins¹⁷ and redefine what a Native American person is.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "TE ATA")

Q'ORIANKA KILCHER: (As Te Ata Thompson Fisher) That's how they see me?

BREWER: It's then, with the help of her soon-to-be-husband, Clyde Fisher, Te Ata decided¹⁸ to leave traditional stage acting¹⁹ and begin telling the stories of native peoples. That scene has resonated with audiences, particularly Native Americans. Vicky Gold, a Chickasaw, said seeing not just a Native American but a Native American woman accurately²⁰ represented in a lead role showed her there are new possibilities for native peoples in popular culture.

VICKY GOLD: Just being a woman and Chickasaw Native American, to me, that meant a lot because the Chickasaw Nation got to tell the story their way. It wasn't the old cowboy-and-Indian way. It was our story. We, the Chickasaws, Native Americans, we are Broadway performers. We are actors. We are doctors. We are lawyers. We're not just an Indian in a movie like you see with the head dress. We're just like you.

BREWER: "Te Ata" opened in theaters last week. And the Chickasaw Nation is working on two more films about the tribe's history, including one about its involvement in the French and Indian Wars. For NPR News, I'm Graham Lee Brewer in Norman, Okla.

1 brewer   

n. 啤酒制造者

参考例句：

• Brewer is a very interesting man. 布鲁尔是一个很有趣的人。
• I decided to quit my job to become a brewer. 我决定辞职，做一名酿酒人。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 multimedia   

adj.多种手段的，多媒体的；n.多媒体

参考例句：

• Multimedia is the combination of computer and video technology.多媒体是计算机和视频技术的结合。
• Adam raised the issue of multimedia applications and much useful discussion ensued.亚当提出了多媒体应用的问题，从而引发了许多有益的讨论。

4 stereotype   

n.固定的形象，陈规，老套，旧框框

参考例句：

• He's my stereotype of a schoolteacher.他是我心目中的典型教师。
• There's always been a stereotype about successful businessmen.人们对于成功商人一直都有一种固定印象。

5 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

6 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 stereotypes   

n.老套，模式化的见解，有老一套固定想法的人( stereotype的名词复数 )v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Such jokes tend to reinforce racial stereotypes. 这样的笑话容易渲染种族偏见。
• It makes me sick to read over such stereotypes devoid of content. 这种空洞无物的八股调，我看了就讨厌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 perpetuate   

v.使永存，使永记不忘

参考例句：

• This monument was built to perpetuate the memory of the national hero.这个纪念碑建造的意义在于纪念民族英雄永垂不朽。
• We must perpetuate the system.我们必须将此制度永久保持。

9 twilight   

n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期

参考例句：

• Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。
• Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。

10 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

11 portrays   

v.画像( portray的第三人称单数 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The museum collection vividly portrays the heritage of 200 years of canals. 博物馆的藏品让运河200 年的历史再现眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The film portrays Gandhi as a kind of superman. 这部电影把甘地描绘成一个超人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 licenses   

n.执照( license的名词复数 )v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Drivers have ten days' grace to renew their licenses. 驾驶员更换执照有10天的宽限期。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Jewish firms couldn't get import or export licenses or raw materials. 犹太人的企业得不到进出口许可证或原料。 来自辞典例句

13 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

14 depicting   

描绘，描画( depict的现在分词 )； 描述

参考例句：

• a painting depicting the Virgin and Child 一幅描绘童贞马利亚和圣子耶稣的画
• The movie depicting the battles and bloodshed is bound to strike home. 这部描写战斗和流血牺牲的影片一定会取得预期效果。

15 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

16 brutes   

兽( brute的名词复数 )； 畜生； 残酷无情的人； 兽性

参考例句：

• They're not like dogs; they're hideous brutes. 它们不像狗，是丑陋的畜牲。
• Suddenly the foul musty odour of the brutes struck his nostrils. 突然，他的鼻尖闻到了老鼠的霉臭味。 来自英汉文学

17 reins   

感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带

参考例句：

• She pulled gently on the reins. 她轻轻地拉着缰绳。
• The government has imposed strict reins on the import of luxury goods. 政府对奢侈品的进口有严格的控制手段。

18 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

19 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

20 accurately   

adv.准确地，精确地

参考例句：

• It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
• Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。