Name: 八個被證實是真的美洲原住民神話！ (Top 8 Native American Myths That Turned Out to Be TRUE)
Uploaded: 2026-03-20T17:03:10.000Z
Duration: 11 min 13 s

The spiritual power of this place is an energy that we get thousands of years of ancestors being right here in this place.

這地方的精神力量，是我們祖先在此地數千年傳承下來的能量。

today we're counting down our picks for the top Native American oral stories once thought to be unverified, but

今天我們要來盤點，那些曾被認為未經證實，但後來卻與真實的歷史、生物或地質現象有關的原住民口述故事。

were later linked to real historical, biological, or geological phenomenon.

為什麼這個物種會維持這個體型？

又為什麼這個物種會長得這麼大？

8 美國西北太平洋地區的特大地震。

8 Pacific Northwest megathrust earthquakes.

在地質學家發現 1700 年的卡斯卡迪亞地震之前很久，美國西北太平洋地區的原住民就已經知道這件事發生了。

Long before geologists ever discovered the 1700 Cascadia earthquake, indigenous people along the Pacific Northwest already knew it happened.

他們的口述傳統描述了大地像生物一樣搖晃、村莊被吞噬，

Their oral traditions describe the land shaking like a living being, villages being swallowed, and

還有災難性戰鬥和強大力量的傳說。

a catastrophic battle between powerful forces.

一場強大力量之間的災難性戰鬥。

In some stories, it's told as a clash between the whale and the thunderbird, causing the ocean itself to rise.

有些故事講述這是鯨魚和雷鳥之間的衝突，導致海洋本身高漲。

While these stories give no exact date, they state that the earthquake was massive and devastating.

雖然這些故事沒有確切日期，但它們指出這次地震規模巨大且具毀滅性。

Japanese records support this claim with a description of an orphan wave that struck in the 1700s.

日本的記錄也支持這個說法，描述了 1700 年代襲來的一場孤兒海嘯。

Nine hours after the earthquake struck the coast, the waves of the tsunami started to reach Japan.

地震襲擊海岸九小時後，海嘯的波浪開始抵達日本。

That's where more of the detailed reports were first discovered.

那裡最先發現了更多詳細的報告。

Centuries later, geological evidence such as sunken forests, coastal drops, and ocean sand eventually confirmed this event.

幾個世紀後，沉沒的森林、海岸下降和海洋沉積物等地質證據最終證實了這次事件。

This goes to show that not all myths are entirely fabricated.

這證明瞭並非所有神話都是完全捏造的。

the written stories across 5,000 miles and 300 years all pointed at the same theory that a catastrophic quake was possible in the Pacific Northwest.

以及跨越五千英里、三百年的書面故事，都指向了同一個理論：美國西北太平洋地區可能發生災難性地震。

Number seven, the waning of the sun myth.

We sit inside as Navajos and reflect on ourselves.

我們作為納瓦霍人待在屋內，反思自我。

We don't eat, we don't drink, we don't laugh.

That's what we do, as Navajo is we stay inside.

這就是我們納瓦霍人所做的，我們待在屋內。

What we now understand as solar eclipse was interpreted differently by many native peoples.

我們現在所理解的日食，被許多原住民以不同的方式詮釋。

Some believed it marked the meeting of the moon and the sun.

有些人相信這標誌著月亮和太陽的相遇。

For others, it was a time of transformation or a symbol of rebirth and renewal, often accompanied by silence or reflection.

對其他人來說，這是一個轉變的時刻，或是重生與更新的象徵，通常伴隨著寧靜或沉思。

The sun is called one of the great warriors, the uncle, and

太陽被稱為偉大的戰士之一，是叔叔，

to cover it up is sort of implying that there is a need to set aside war.

而遮蔽它，則有點暗示著需要放下戰爭。

In other traditions, it was said a giant frog was attempting to swallow the sun, leading to rituals meant to save it.

在其他傳統中，有人說是一隻巨大的青蛙試圖吞噬太陽，是以舉行了儀式來拯救它。

So, long before Western astronomy explained solar eclipses, Indigenous nations were already observing and recording them.

所以，在西方天文學解釋日食之前很久，原住民部落就已經在觀測和記錄它們了。

Rock art and winter counts appear to document eclipse events.

巖畫和冬季記錄似乎都記載了日食事件。

Notably, eclipses influenced Haudenosaunee Confederacy history and helped to strengthen the authority of Tenskwatawa, the Shawnee Prophet.

值得注意的是，日食影響了哈德諾桑尼聯盟的歷史，並有助於鞏固蕭尼先知 Tenskwatawa 的權威。

And so an eclipse occurred in their territory, and

是以，一次日食發生在他們的領土上，

that was a convincing sign to them that the message that was brought to them by the Peacemaker had truth and power.

這對他們來說是一個令人信服的跡象，表明和平締造者帶給他們的訊息是真實且有力的。

For hundreds of years, generations carried baskets of dirt from huge borrow pits to make this mound.

數百年來，世世代代從巨大的土坑裡搬運泥土，堆砌成這座土丘。

The work began before the Vikings discovered the New World and was finished just after the Second Crusades.

這項工程在維京人發現新大陸之前就已開始，並在第二次十字軍東徵結束後不久完工。

The city of Cahokia, an advanced civilization, was once thought a legend.

卡霍基亞城，一個先進的文明，曾被認為只是個傳說。

But this lost city of North America was real.

但這座北美失落的城市是真實存在的。

At one point, it thrived as the largest city of the region, with tens of thousands of residents living in well planned neighborhoods.

曾經，它繁榮發展，成為該地區最大的城市，有數萬居民居住在規劃完善的社區裡。

Hunters, traders, farmers and even astronomers thrived in this highly organized civilization.

獵人、商人、農民，甚至天文學家，在這個高度組織化的文明中蓬勃發展。

Monumental mounds, such as the massive Monk's Mound served as ceremonial and political centers, showing the city's complex and impressive engineering.

像是巨大的僧侶丘這樣的紀念性土丘，是儀式和政治中心，展現了這座城市複雜而令人印象深刻的工程。

Each mound follows along the exact same alignment to form a city grid.

每個土丘都沿著完全相同的方向排列，形成一個城市網格。

The grid is centered along a feature rediscovered only today.

這個網格以一個直到今天才被重新發現的特徵為中心。

Yet by the mid-1300s, the city's population declined, leading many to believe it vanished.

然而到了1300年代中期，這座城市的居民開始減少，許多人認為它消失了。

However, recent studies suggest that Cahokia remained habitable even after the 1400s.

不過，近期的研究顯示，卡霍基亞即使在1400年後仍然適宜居住。

While its demise remains a mystery, archaeological findings confirm its former greatness.

雖然它為何衰落仍是個謎，但考古發現證實了它昔日的輝煌。

Up on top of the mound, you can feel the spirits of all the people who were there before.

站在土丘頂端，你可以感受到所有曾經在這裡生活過的人們的精神力量。

You can almost hear the hustle and bustle of people in the village below.

你幾乎能聽到下方村莊裡人們的喧囂聲。

Among the Clallam people of Washington's Olympic Peninsula, there's a powerful story about the Great Flood.

在華盛頓州奧林匹克半島的克拉勒姆族人中，有一個關於大洪水的強大口述故事。

Elders tell of coastal waters turning salty, a warning sign that something was wrong.

長老們講述了沿海地區的水變得鹹鹹的，這是一個不祥的預兆，表示有事情不對勁。

those who listened gathered food and fresh water before escaping to the highest mountains nearby.

那些聽從的人在逃往附近最高的山脈之前，收集了食物和淡水。

For centuries, outsiders dismissed these stories as myths.

幾個世紀以來，外人一直認為這些故事只是神話。

That changed when an archaeological excavation at the ancient village site of Tzit Huitzen revealed it was all true.

情況在位於古老村莊 Tzit Huitzen 的考古挖掘發現一切都是真的後改變了。

According to findings, this wasn't a one time disaster.

根據發現，這並非一次性的災難。

The land was struck by tsunami driven floods multiple times, and

這片土地曾多次遭受海嘯引發的洪水襲擊，

each time survivors managed to return and rebuild homes and communities.

每次倖存者都能設法返回並重建家園和社區。

Yet Klallam stories preserved these memories.

然而，克拉勒姆族的口述傳統保存了這些記憶。

It is difficult to be sure about the etymology of the name Mapingoree, but

Mapingoree 這個名字的詞源很難確定，

the main assumption is that it comes from the Tupiguareni indigenous language.

但主要的假設是它來自圖皮瓜拉尼原住民語言。

In stories told across parts of South America, a giant grotesque creature called the mapenguari was said to leave destruction in its wake.

在南美洲部分地區流傳的故事中，一種被稱為 mapenguari 的巨大怪異生物，據說會留下破壞的痕跡。

Even the bravest of hunters feared it, describing enormous footprints, trees torn apart, and

即使是最勇敢的獵人也害怕牠，牠們描述了巨大的腳印、被撕裂的樹木，以及

thunderous footsteps as it moved through the forest.

當牠在森林中移動時發出的雷鳴般的腳步聲。

While its true nature remains unclear, some researchers have noted similarities between these descriptions and giant Ground sloths.

雖然牠的真實本質仍不清楚，但有些研究人員注意到這些描述與巨型地懶之間有相似之處。

They believe, quite piously, that if you see the animal, you will die.

他們非常虔誠地相信，如果你看到這種動物，你就會死。

What did I do to have the devil himself appear before me in the forest?

我怎麼會讓魔鬼本人出現在我面前的森林裡？

These massive creatures once lived alongside early humans in the Americas before going extinct 10,000 years ago.

這些巨大的生物在萬年前滅絕前，曾與早期人類一同生活在美洲。

The mapinguari tales may be legend, but fossil discoveries continue to keep the possibility alive.

Mapinguari 的傳說或許只是傳奇，但化石的發現卻讓這種可能性持續存在。

For enthusiasts, Megatherium reminds me of an old man in carpet slippers.

對於愛好者來說，巨型地懶讓我想起一位穿著拖鞋的老人。

They're turned over on their side like a man with arthritis.

牠們側躺著，就像一個關節炎患者。

Number three Mammoth and mastodon encounters.

第三項是長毛象和乳齒象的遭遇。

Mammoths once roamed the open landscape of ancient Britain.

長毛象曾漫步在古代英國的開闊地帶。

These extinct cousins of elephants had huge curving tusks and thrived during the Ice Age.

這些已滅絕的大象近親有著巨大的彎曲象牙，並在冰河時期繁盛。

once these Ice Age creatures coexisted with humans, with their exceptional tusks, thick furs and towering frames, they were impossible to ignore.

這些冰河時期的生物曾與人類共存，牠們擁有非凡的象牙、厚實的毛皮和高聳的身軀，讓人無法忽視。

While mammoths were taller and looked more like modern elephants, mastodons were stockier.

長毛象比乳齒象高大，外型更像現代象，而乳齒象則較為粗壯。

Indigenous stories have described them as aggressive beasts that inspired fear.

原住民的口述故事將牠們描述成令人恐懼的凶猛野獸。

this animal was actually a lot more common in Ohio than the mammoth.

這種動物在俄亥俄州的數量其實比長毛象來得多。

And this is an example of a male mastodon.

The only problem is these accounts don't name mammoths and mastodons outright.

唯一的問題是，這些記載並沒有直接點名長毛象和乳齒象。

But archaeological findings fill the gap, confirming early humans shared land with them.

但考古發現填補了這個空白，證實了早期人類曾與牠們共享土地。

They may just be the same giant creatures native people believed to have encountered.

也許牠們就是原住民相信曾遭遇過的同一種巨大生物。