Alicia Dussán de Reichel facts for kids

Alicia Dussán de Reichel (born October 16, 1920 – died May 17, 2023) was a Colombian teacher and scientist. She was one of the very first students to study ethnology in Colombia. Ethnology is the study of different cultures and how they relate to each other.

For twenty years, Alicia was the only woman doing archaeological and anthropological research in her country. Archaeology is the study of human history through digging up old things. Anthropology is the study of human societies and cultures. Her work focused on Colombia and the Caribbean region.

With her husband, she helped start the Department of Anthropology at the University of the Andes. She was also a member of the Colombian Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences until 2008. She was the only anthropologist in the Academy during her time there. In 2010, the French government honored her with a special award called the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

Early Life and Education

Alicia Dussán Maldonado was born in Bogotá, Colombia, on October 16, 1920. Her father was a landowner, and her mother was very interested in politics. Alicia had family members who fought in important wars in Colombia's history.

From a young age, Alicia was curious about other cultures, especially those from Africa and Asia. She also wanted to learn about Colombia's own native groups.

She went to a well-known private school in Bogotá called Gimnasio Femenino. This school used a special teaching method to prepare young women for life. Alicia was part of the first group of women in Colombia who went on to get higher education and have careers.

After finishing high school in 1938, Alicia decided to study in Europe. She went to the University of Berlin to learn about German culture and language. While there, she visited many museums. She saw ancient objects from South America for the first time. She had to return to Colombia when World War II started.

In 1940, Alicia began studying law at the National University of Colombia. But she was very interested in archaeology. She started attending lectures by a famous scientist named Paul Rivet. In 1941, she switched to the National Ethnological Institute (NEI). This institute had just been started by Paul Rivet.

The NEI taught a new way of studying cultures. Students learned to look at how different groups influenced each other. Alicia earned her degree in 1942. The next year, she married a fellow student, Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff.

A Pioneering Career in Anthropology

Between 1942 and 1945, Alicia worked as a research assistant at the NEI. She worked with her husband to study ancient burial urns in the Magdalena Department. She also studied the physical features of the Pijao people in the Tolima Department. During this time, she had her first child.

It was very challenging for Alicia to work in the field. People criticized her for her clothing and behavior. She was the only woman working in anthropology in Colombia for many years. People made fun of her for not choosing a job like a social worker or nurse. She wore pants instead of dresses, which was unusual for women then. She was also one of the first women to drive a car. Because of this, some people called her names and even threw stones at her.

Exploring Ancient Cultures

In 1946, Alicia and her husband started the Ethnological Institute of Magdalena. They worked there until 1950. They collected ancient pottery and other items. They created a museum with the things they found during their archaeological digs. They explored areas like Pueblito (now in Tayrona National Natural Park) and river valleys.

They studied the Yukpa people and their special burial customs. While pregnant, Alicia also collected information from local native people about their myths and traditions. She used special methods to study how men and women related to each other and how parents raised children in Taganga.

Studying Cultural Change

From 1951 to 1956, Alicia worked at the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History. She and her husband studied a village called Aritama (which was actually Atanquez). They wanted to understand how cultures change when different groups meet. Their findings were published in a book called The People of Aritama (1961). This book became very important for studying early societies in Colombia.

Between 1954 and 1958, Alicia and her husband lived in Cartagena. They worked on a project about public health and medicine. This allowed them to do more archaeological digs along Colombia's Caribbean coast. They also studied how health and culture were connected.

New Research and Urban Studies

In 1960, Alicia returned to Bogotá. She worked for organizations that allowed her to explore the Pacific coast, from Panama to Ecuador. Very little archaeological work had been done there before.

While working in this area, she studied a religious movement led by a prophet called El Hermanito. His predictions about the end of the world caused people to sell their belongings or throw them into the river. Alicia's study of this movement was the first of its kind in Latin America. She also studied problems in cities, looking at poor neighborhoods in Bogotá.

Founding a Department and Later Work

In 1964, Alicia and her husband founded the Department of Anthropology at the Universidad de los Andes. They created a program that taught students about archaeology, ethnology, languages, and physical anthropology. Alicia visited universities in the United States to help design the best program for Colombia.

In 1965, she wrote an important paper called Problems and Needs of Ethnological Research in Colombia. This paper talked about how important it was to study and protect cultures that were changing because of modern life. Her ideas had a big impact around the world.

After 1968, Alicia stopped doing fieldwork at archaeological sites. But she continued to work as a consultant for the Gold Museum, Bogotá. She also became the head of the Division of Museums and Restoration in 1970. She worked on a project with Harvard University to study how poor nutrition affected children's mental development in Colombia.

Later, she worked with the Kogi people from 1975 to 1977. She also worked as a visiting curator at museums in Los Angeles, California, from 1978 to 1982. When she returned to Colombia, she helped create educational videos about Colombian culture.

Alicia was a founder of the Academy of Sciences of the Third World in 1983. This group helps promote science in developing countries. She also worked to create an Academy of Women Scientists.

Throughout her career, Alicia Dussán published many books and articles. She received many honors for her work, including the Lifetime Achievement prize in 2002. In 2008, she became an Honorary Academic of the Colombian Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences.

Personal Life and Death

Alicia Dussán turned 100 years old in October 2020. She passed away on May 17, 2023, at the age of 102.

See also

In Spanish: Alicia Dussán de Reichel para niños