Whenever I travel, I wear a strange looking necklace2 that people often ask me about. I tell them that it is my talisman1. What is a talisman? According to my dictionary, it is the following: “an object which you believe has magic powers to protect you or bring you luck.” American Indians3 and Eskimos4 also refer to such an object as a fetish5, “an object, especially a carved6 object, which is supposed to have religious significance or magical powers7.” I am in Hangzhou, China, now, so I wear it every day.
Of course, according to my culture and my beliefs, I don’t believe in magical powers, but somehow, I feel good when I wear my talisman. My talisman was carved from ivory8 by an Eskimo in Alaska9. It is supposed to represent an Eskimo traditional god, a billikin10, who protects travelers. It was given to me one summer many years ago when I was teaching at the University of Alaska. I have worn it when traveling since then. I feel very good when I do. It is a small talisman, about an inch long, with a tiny funny carved face, and a little gold belly button11. It is a friendly looking little god, and I like to think it’s truly protecting me.
Coincidentally12, at the moment I am reading a paperback book that I brought with me to China. It is a mystery about a Navajo Indian13 police officer, a young woman who wears a talisman/fetish necklace to ward off evil. In the book she refers to it as a fetish of a badger14, a small wild animal which has a wide head and two wide black stripes on it. On the cover of the book there is a picture of her badger/fetish. When I first saw it in the book store, the picture interested me and made me want to buy the book.
I also have another fetish, a carved turquoise bear15 that my son bought me one time when he was in Colorado16, a traditional American Indian area. I don’t wear it when I travel, but I often wear it at home because it is so pretty. It’s probably strange that I’m the one who wears such an item. I have absolutely17 no American Indian ancestry18. Don does, but he never wears such a thing, though we both have small representations of our Chinese Zodiac signs19 that we wear. Thus I feel I’m doubly protected by two very different cultural icons20.
Notes:
1. talisman: an object thought to act as a charm to avert or prevent evil and bring good fortune (护身符，驱邪物).
2. necklace: a piece of jewelry that is worn around the neck (项链).
3. American Indians: native populations in North America who preceded the settlers from Europe (美洲印第安人，先于欧洲来的定居者之前的土著人群).
4. Eskimos: members of people of northern Canada, Greenland, Alaska and eastern Siberia (爱斯基摩人，居住于加拿大北部，格陵兰，阿拉斯加以及西伯利亚的东部).
5. refer to such an object as a fetish: 把这种东西称作 “fetish”。
6. carved: formed by cutting with a knife on wood, ivory, or other material (经过雕刻的).
7. magical powers: possessing the ability or strength to do something supernatural (神奇的力量，魔力).
8. ivory: 象牙
9. Alaska: 阿拉斯加，美国最北面的一个州。
10. billikin: a small carved image which is supposed to represent an Eskimo god (一雕刻物，是爱斯基摩人的神像).
11. belly button: 肚脐
12. coincidentally: occurring or existing at the same moment or time; occurs by chance (巧合地，碰巧地).
13. Navajo Indian: a tribe or group of American Indians located in the southwestern part of the U.S., mostly in Arizona and New Mexico (纳瓦霍族人，美洲印第安人的一个部落，大部分居住于美国西南部的亚利桑那、新墨西哥州).
14. badger: 獾
15. turquoise bear: a representation of bear carved from a semi-precious stone called turquoise which is some shade of green with bluish or grayish tints (绿松石熊，由绿松石雕刻而成，呈青绿色).
16. Colorado: a western, mountainous state which is originally the home of many different American Indian tribes, and with many cultural artifacts found there (科罗拉多州，位于美国西部，多山，是许多美国印第安部落的最早居住地，有许多历史悠久的手工艺品).
17. absolutely: certainly so; without doubt; always true (绝对地).
18. ancestry: family background; forebears, line of descent in a family (祖先).
19. Chinese zodiac signs: characteristics or images for the twelve parts of the Chinese cycle of years (中国的十二生肖).
20. cultural icons:（不同）文化的偶像或崇拜物
