If art preserves the culture of the Crow people, then Crow women are the keepers of that culture, cultivating it to reflect the modern day.
Fashion designer Bethany Yellowtail grew up riding horses and running in the fields and swimming in the river and being around her people in the Crow Nation and Northern Cheyenne Indian reservations in southeastern Montana. She knows first-hand the importance of art to maintaining native traditions. In 2015 she turned that knowledge into her own brand: B. Yellowtail. A year later, she created the B. Yellowtail Collective, made up of native artists, to foster economic opportunities for their communities. Many of those artists are women from different tribes but all of them preserve their culture and move it forward through their medium of choice.
Yellowtail and her team work for the native-owned business that’s rooted in community. Artists within the Collective typically receive 70% of profit from retail sales, and for a portion of the pandemic (流行病) the brand has upped that to 100%. The extra money has, of course, increased artists’ income in the past year, but the relationship is interdependent: without the work of those artists, B. Yellowtail wouldn’t exist and native culture would feel the loss.
Dewanda Little Coyote is Yellowtail’s mother. Family is deeply important to their tribe. So is art, which often runs in the family — and along the matriarchal (母系的) side. Little Coyote picked up her entrepreneurial spirit from her parents, who owned a gift shop. “My parents said, ‘If you have hands, create something. Do something, and make a living off of that,’” she said. After her parents passed away, the artist began learning beading (串珠) earrings herself. Dentalium, a tusk shell often used in native jewelry, caught her eye in particular. “I love it, because back in the day, our Cheyenne women wore a lot of dentalium,” she said. “So I wanted to give a contemporary look to that — to what our ancestors wore.”
Yellowtail herself learned sewing from her aunts and grandmothers before moving to Los Angeles in 2007 to study fashion design. Now, native women support native women — and matriarchal art evolves.
1. Why did Bethany Yellowtail set up B. Yellowtail?| A．To make their culture continue. | B．To become rich as soon as possible. |
| C．To reflect the modern fashions. | D．To inspire more women to work. |
| A．Native-owned businesses make money more easily. |
| B．The profit from the Collective has fallen sharply. |
| C．Local artists love to work in their community. |
| D．Artists, income is related to the development of native culture. |
| A．To prove she loves her daughter deeply. |
| B．To show how native culture is handed down. |
| C．To praise her efforts to help the young. |
| D．To appeal to more women to join in jewelry design. |
| A．Humorous, modest and cooperative. | B．Traditional, cautious and outgoing. |
| C．Independent, competitive and creative. | D．Creative, determined and selfless. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Here are some wonderful festivals around the world that happen in spring. If you want to know more about them, please click here or visit http://www.buddhanet.net/festival.htm
Songkran—Thailand
Dates: 13 th-15th, April
In Thailand, people celebrate a festival called Songkran, when people head out to the streets with water guns to spray (喷洒) everyone who walks past. It’s a very important traditional celebration in the country.
Naghol—Vanuatu
Dates: Every Saturday from April to May
Every year, villagers come together to celebrate the harvest of yams (甘薯), an important part in the people’s diet in Vanuatu. The festival is most famous for its “land diving (潜水) ceremony”. During the ceremony men and boys dive to the ground from high wooden towers with only two thin vines (藤) tied to their feet.
Cherry Blossom Viewing—Japan
Dates: The cherry blossom season is different from year to year depending on the weather.
The festival is well-known. The Japanese celebrate the days when the flowers finally blossom. Only a few days later, the petals (花瓣) fall to the ground, like pink snowflakes. That means the traditional festival only lasts for several days. In Japan, almost everyone has picnics in the parks to view the flowers.
Sinhalese New Year—Sri Lanka
Dates: 13th or 14th, April
Just like in many other countries in South East Asia, this is the time when people celebrate the traditional New Year, an ancient celebration which marks the end of the harvest season and is one of two times of the year when the sun is straight above Sri Lanka. There are a lot of delicious foods during the celebration.
1. What will most likely happen to a tourist walking in the street during SongKran in Thailand?| A．He will get wet. | B．He will hurt his feet. |
| C．He will be treated to delicious foods. | D．He will see some petal falling. |
| A．It is a traditional festival. | B．It is a very famous festival. |
| C．Its date is different every year. | D．It provides visitors with delicious foods. |
| A．On TV. | B．In a report. | C．On the Internet. | D．In the newspaper. |
【推荐2】La Tomatina, Spain
Tomato juice flows through the streets of Bunol on the last Wednesday of August as the world’s largest tomato fight happens. Festivities begin in the town square where there is a huge pole covered in soap and with a leg of ham at the top. Participants try to climb up the pole to get the ham as watchers throw buckets of water to them. After a gun is fired to signal the beginning of the fight, people catch the tomatoes and throw each other in the streets until the gun sounds again, marking the end of the event.
Holi, India
This spring festival is celebrated throughout the country in late February or early March. The two-day event celebrates the legend of Prahlad, who escaped unharmed from the fire of the evil Holika Dahan. People mark the event by lighting fires and throwing colored powder on one another. Children load colored water into toy pistols called pichkari and take aim at passers-by. Holi is known as a happy celebration of the triumph of good over evil.
Burning Man, Nevada
This infamous festival began in 1986 with the burning of a large figure to mark the summer solstice(夏至). It’s since grown into a week-long annual event that draws more than 48,000 people to the Black Rock Dessert. It is held during the week before Labor Day. Participants set up camp in the desert to celebrate art.
Songkran, Thailand
This festival marks the Thai New Year, which is celebrated in the second week of April. This is the hottest time of the year in Thailand, so it makes sense that the biggest Songkran tradition is to throw water on people. Thais of all ages join in water fights, using buckets, hoses and water guns to celebrate the event.
1. The following celebrations are related to water EXCEPT_________.| A．La Tomatina | B．Burning Man |
| C．Holi | D．Songkran |
| A．a kind of gun | B．a bad man |
| C．fire | D．powder |
| A．Spain | B．Nevada |
| C．India | D．Thailand |
| A．encourage people to travel |
| B．introduce some interesting festivals |
| C．advertise the world’s biggest parties |
| D．show the most famous performances |
【推荐3】Literary festivals are held annually in many corners of the globe and attract large numbers of readers, writers, playwrights (剧作家) and publishers.
Miami Book Fair
For eight days each year in November, the campus of Miami Dade College hosts over 500 outstanding authors during the Miami Book Fair. The fair offers young writers a unique opportunity to attend creative writing courses and workshops. Readers can listen to famous international authors talk about their latest books. Most of the events are offered free of charge to encourage a love of literature across all income groups.
Cheltenham Literature Festival
The festival runs for 10 days every autumn in Cheltenham. It’s the world’s first literature festival, leading the way in celebrating the writ- ten and spoken word. The fair offers something to everyone-you can attend reading activities and debates, and bring your children to see their favorite storybook characters brought to life.
Paraty International Literary Festival
It’s held each year in the city of Paraty, Brazil. Visitors can meet many local and international authors, poets and playwrights, and attend literature workshops. As part of the festival, Flipinha is mainly for children where young readers can meet writers and relax with a book in a special space. A further arm of the festival is called FlipMais. A series of free events about live theatre, music and cinema are held throughout the city of Paraty.
Edinburgh International Book Festival
The festival lasts for over 16 days every August and usually features around 900 events where you can meet your favorite authors, and bring your children to attend magical story-telling sessions and special workshops for children with learning disabilities. In most years, the festival attracts over 1,000 authors, poets and educators.
1. What can young writers do at Miami Book Fair?| A．Enjoy wonderful live shows. | B．Get the latest books for free. |
| C．Develop their writing skills. | D．Receive training in public speaking. |
| A．It includes different forms of art. | B．It organizes a debate for writers and readers. |
| C．It gives children a chance to make up stories. | D．It allows readers to offer writers suggestions directly. |
| A．Miami Book Fair. | B．Cheltenham Literature Festival. |
| C．Paraty International Literary Festival. | D．Edinburgh International Book Festival. |
【推荐1】Ray Tokuda,a 54-year-old Japanese American,takes pride in the title his school has already given him.He is a Shifu,a Chinese word literally meaning a master,mentor or senior practioner of martial arts.
Surely, he has reason to be proud.He has been involved with Chinese martial arts for almost 40 years.After learning them at the martial arts school in New Mexico State,he is among the most experienced kung fu teachers of the school today.
Practicing martial arts two to three hours and helping students improve their skills have become Tokuda’s daily routine.He expects to practice and teach martial arts for the rest of his life.“I’m still learning.It’s worth more than a lifetime to learn Chinese martial arts,”he said.“Once I started,I just couldn’t stop.I think it’s also the magic of Chinese culture.”
Tokuda was sent to the martial arts school when he was 10.He still remembers how unwilling he was when starting out.“I remember my father had always wanted to learn Chinese martial arts but never got the chance,so he put his kid in,”he said.“I was so afraid at that time because I thought kung fu was all about fighting.”
But things changed after he learned that martial arts were more than punching and kicking.
“One of the things martial arts teach me is to overcome adversity,”Tokuda said.“As a little kid,my first lesson was like,oh,look,this is a thing that I can get through by diligence,perseverance（毅力）and dedication,and that was priceless for my life.”
Learning Chinese martial arts opened a gateway for him to better understand the culture of China.
Meanwhile,Tokuda has also been invited to various events in his home state to showcase traditional Chinese culture,including the dragon dance and lion dance,which he also learnt at the martial arts school.Because of this,he is now considered a cultural envoy(使者)in the eyes of the public.
1. At first,Tokuda weren’t willing to learn kung fu because he had thought it was______.| A．practical | B．magical | C．violent | D．difficult |
| A．He learnt martial arts from his mother. |
| B．He is the founder of the kung fu school. |
| C．He learnt from martial arts how to solve difficulties. |
| D．He is the most experienced kung fu teacher of his state. |
| A．Modest and friendly. |
| B．Persevering and devoted. |
| C．Talented and humorous. |
| D．Motivated and considerate. |
【推荐2】Musicians want to be heard. Making that happen involves time and effort that could be spent making music, however. Fortunately, Richmonders Elijah Hedrick and designer Rian Moses-Hedrick have started a platform to help. HearRVA shines a spotlight on Richmond musicians. “We’re basically trying to play matchmaker with music fans here in Richmond,” Rian says.
The promotion platform was created in July last year by the designer and her husband, Elijah. HearRVA’s website offers videos of local performances, a list of live music spots and playlists of songs from Richmond-based musicians. Musicians submit links to their work to be considered for promotion at no cost. The site is a passion project for the married couple and is supported by money donations from the natives.
One of the next steps is an interview series, “Liner Notes,” which highlights local musicians and the motivations behind their music. The series was launched in November with local singer Devonne Harris, who plays recorded popular music on the local radio. “It’s a great way for listeners to get a close look into what’s going on behind some of the creative forces in the city,” Harris says. “Sometimes having extra insight adds more of a connection, so people can really go back to listen to your music and be grateful for what you do and listen to it from a different angle.”
Rian and Elijah are looking ahead to season two of “Liner Notes”, which they plan to release next year. For them, everything ties back to providing exposure to local musicians. “People always want to go to LA or New York because they think they have a better shot there, and the market’s bigger,” Rian says, “but why don’t we grow the market here?”
1. What is the main purpose of HearRVA?| A．To bring local artists close together. |
| B．To build a useful source for musicians. |
| C．To show how to appreciate local music. |
| D．To connect local musicians with music lovers. |
| A．The great local demand for it. |
| B．Local musicians’ desire for fame. |
| C．Local people’s financial support. |
| D．The married couple’s gift for music. |
| A．The comparisons between different musicians. |
| B．Effective ways of composing or playing music. |
| C．Different opinions on a certain kind of music. |
| D．Reasons why local musicians create their music. |
| A．Negative. | B．Positive. | C．Uncertain. | D．Indifferent. |
【推荐3】A heartwarming letter written by Yuan Longping, known as “the father of hybrid rice”, has caught people’s eyes as the nation is mourning (悼念) over his passing away. In 2010, at the age 80, Yuan wrote this letter in memory of his late mother, Hua Jing, and many are deeply touched by its sincerity (真情).
In the letter, entitled“The Rice is Ripe (成熟), Mom”, Yuan recalled the old days with his mother in Anjiang town in Central China’s Hunan province, where his mother was buried in 1989.
Born in a wealthy family in Yangzhou, eastern China’s Jiangsu province, Hua Jing was well educated and open-minded. She taught Yuan English when he was very young. Having never worked in the fields, Hua moved to Anjiang town to support her son’s family and research.
“Mom, the rice is ripe and I come back to Anjiang to see you... Every time when I was able to deliver a speech to the audiences from around the world or take a prize in my study, I always thought of you. You made me who I am. People say I’ve changed the world with one tiny rice seed but mom, I know you sowed (播种) the seed in me when I was a little boy.”
1. Why did Yuan Longping write a letter in 2010?| A．To honor his mother. | B．To attract people’s eyes. |
| C．To comfort his mother. | D．To public his achievements. |
| A．The seed. | B．The emotion. | C．The speech. | D．The education. |
| A．She was born in a poor family. | B．She used to work in the fields. |
| C．She didn’t get any schooling. | D．She moved to Anjiang for her son. |
| A．The speech to the audience. | B．The growth in Anjiang. |
| C．The seed of Yuan’s mother. | D．The prize in his study. |
