Inés Talamantez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Inés Talamantez
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|---|---|
| Died | September 27, 2019 |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | University of California, San Diego BA & PhD |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | University of California, Santa Barbara |
| Main interests | studying cultures and healing |
| Notable works | Teaching Religion and Healing |
| Notable ideas | leading Indigenous Studies |
Inés M. Talamantez was a special kind of scientist who studied different cultures and religions. She was a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). She knew a lot about Native American religion and their ways of thinking.
About Inés Talamantez
Inés Talamantez was part of the Mescalero Apache nation. Her family came from New Mexico.
Her Education and Work
She earned her highest degree, a PhD, from the University of California, San Diego. She studied how different cultures tell stories and compare them. Later, she joined the Religious Studies Department at UCSB. There, she started a special program for students to get their PhDs. This program focused on Native American religious traditions. More than 30 scholars have earned their PhDs through this program.
What She Studied
Talamantez researched many interesting topics. She looked at healing and religion in Native American communities. She also studied the role of women in religion. Another area was how nature and animals are important in Native American traditions. She also explored religion and the environment.
She believed it was very important to keep native languages alive. She said that understanding the language is key for anyone studying Native American cultures. Talamantez traveled to Mexico and the Southwestern United States. There, she did field studies, which means she learned directly from people.
She spent many years building strong connections with Apache communities. She learned their language and shared her work with them. This way, community members could check her work and approve it.
Her Leadership and Books
Talamantez was the president of the Indigenous Studies Group. This group is part of the American Academy of Religion. In 2006, she helped edit a book called Teaching Religion and Healing. She also helped edit the Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion. She co-edited the first issue of Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy that focused on American Indian women.
