野牛的灭绝与大平原印第安人的命运

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。反思这段历史今天仍具重要意义。

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

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