Listening exercise: National Geographic Presents
Europe's Fascination with Native Americans
View the video:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/channel/highspeed/2004/11/20041129news.html


Vocabulary:
to fascinated with
Native American
culture and traditions
Europe
pretty popular
pastime
all things Indian
Chris Sheridan
to have more on
Mein Name ist Herbert Ustrabowsky.
Bernd Knickram
service technician
Kiel, Germany
identity
Tatoka Indianka
running antelope
chief
Indian club
dozens
to be made up of
to get together
to sink into
19th century
lifestyle
hobby
more of a
passion
Mir gefällt, die Art der Indianer mit dem Umgang der Natur, in ihr zu leben, mit ihr zu leben...
teepee
 build a fire
flint
tribe
Mein Name ist Elk Woman; ich bin Apachin.
Mein Name is "Der Mann ohne Zelt", und ich bin Asiniboine.
powwow
to get enraged
Yurok
Marta Carlson
to spend
to research
to capture
to contain
portion
to be stuck in
time period
to evolve
to let someone go
to go native
16th century
romantic stories
noble Indian
to fill
novel
Karl May
to tap into
romantic image
fictional stories
Winnetou
 Apache
to pass knowledge onto
to turn x into y
fascination
frenzy
to some extent
to compare
success
Harry Potter
to read an underlying message in
France
Spain
Britain
to have a piece of
to feel left out
to have an undertone of
to colonize
to be better off
huge crowds
to look for meaning in
plays
modern
complex
comfort
to buy into the idea
imitation is the highest form of flattery
to go on
for generations
to cope with
(eins, zwei, drei...cheese!)
to live in the past

Listening comprehension questions:
1. What are some of the activities the people in Bernd's Indian club engage in during their annual get-together?
2. How long has Germany been fascinated by Native American culture? The Native American culture of which period are they most interested in?
3. Who is Karl May, and what does he have to do with the phenomenon described in this report? Who is Winnetou?
4. What is an underlying message of May's novels, according to the man interviewed?
5. What reasons does Yurok Indian Marta Carlson give for being so upset by this trend among some Germans? What other reasons do you think there might be behind her unhappiness with the German interest in Native American culture and the Indian clubs?
6. What do you think the real reasons are why some Germans actually try to live out their fantasy of being and living like a Native American?


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