VOA标准英语2014--纳瓦霍人珠宝闪耀纽约

 

Navajo Jewelry¹ Shines in New York City 纳瓦霍人珠宝闪耀纽约

NEW YORK—

Turquoise², coral, opal and silver are tools in the hands of master Navajo jewelers. The Yazzie family has been making contemporary Navajo jewelry for decades and now their work is being celebrated³ in a museum in New York.  The exhibition comes as President Obama opens the 2014 White House Tribal⁴ Nations Conference in Washington.

For generations the Yazzie family has been using traditional Navajo techniques to make jewelry in America's Southwest. The concho, the squash blossom and the sun are traditional imagery found in many of their pieces.

The National Museum of the American Indian in New York is showcasing four decades of work by brothers Lee and Raymond Yazzie.  They are elders the famous jewelry-making family, whose work has been - up to now - dispersed⁵ among private collections.

Lee is known for his silversmithing, which was introduced to the Navajo centuries ago by Spanish colonists⁶.  He uses silver to encase the jewels, which in Navajo tradition have a spirit.

"Many times my father would tell my mother to respect this work.  It is sacred, you know the turquoise was sacred," said Lee.

Ray, who has been making jewelry since his early teens, is renowned⁷ for his stone work. He focuses on Hozho, a Navajo concept that prizes balance and beauty in art and life.

"It takes a long time to get everything together especially the different color coral.  It takes a few months or even a couple of years to get all the different colors together," said Ray.

The museum exhibit, which includes works owned by 50 private collectors, is called "Glittering World: Navajo Jewelry of the Yazzie Family."  Glittering world refers to the Navajo name for the realm of light and sun in which all beings live.

"This is an influence directly on their jewelry and the colors of the landscape, the light.  Navajo belief about light and color," said Curator Kathleen Ash-Milby.

Collectors pay a lot for Yazzie artwork. Abby Kent Flythe has been enamored with Navajo jewelry since she was just seven.  Now she is a dealer⁸.

“Because of the materials and the time it takes them to make and the skills they’ve developed over the years it can go quite high," she said. "Up in the…over the hundred-thousand range."

Dozens of Yazzies came to New York City for the gallery opening, which coincided with an award from their home state of New Mexico.  For Ray, the experience was overwhelming.

"You go through life and you put pieces together and because they go into collections, then the public never really gets to see the pieces that you make and so through the years I always wondered when am I going to get the recognition that I want, you know? When are people going to see what I can do," she asked.

The 300-piece exhibit will be on display for one year.  The curator says the show is just one part of the larger, contemporary American Indian story.

1 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

2 turquoise   

n.绿宝石；adj.蓝绿色的

参考例句：

• She wore a string of turquoise round her neck.她脖子上戴着一串绿宝石。
• The women have elaborate necklaces of turquoise.那些女人戴着由绿松石制成的精美项链。

3 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

4 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

5 dispersed   

adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的

参考例句：

• The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。
• After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后，孩子们四散回家了。

6 colonists   

n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Colonists from Europe populated many parts of the Americas. 欧洲的殖民者移居到了美洲的许多地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some of the early colonists were cruel to the native population. 有些早期移居殖民地的人对当地居民很残忍。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

8 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。