Teresa Montoya facts for kids

Teresa Montoya is a talented media creator and social scientist. She is a member of the Diné people. Teresa uses her skills in anthropology, Indigenous studies, and filmmaking to tell important stories.

Teresa's Early Life and Education

Teresa grew up in Western Colorado. She studied at the University of San Diego, earning a degree in Spanish and Art History in 2006. Later, she earned a master's degree in Anthropology from the University of Denver in 2011.

In 2019, Teresa completed her PhD in Anthropology at New York University. Her research looked at how land is taken and how pollution affects Diné communities. These communities are in northern Arizona and New Mexico today. Teresa is now a special researcher at the University of Chicago.

Teresa's grandfather, Thomas Lynch Jr., was a brave soldier. He served in the US Army during World War II. He was captured during the Battle of the Bulge and was a prisoner of war for nearly four months. He passed away at 98 years old in 2021 in Window Rock, Arizona.

Her Art and Films

Teresa Montoya uses her skills in filmmaking and photography to create art. Her art often explores important issues.

The Yellow Water Project

In 2016, Teresa created a project called Yellow Water. This project was her response to the Gold King Mine Spill in 2015. This spill released toxic mine waste into the Animas and San Juan rivers. These rivers flow through the Navajo Nation.

Teresa's work shows how losing land and pollution affect Indigenous people. Her project included photographs, audio, and bottles filled with contaminated water. It was shown in 2019 at the Spill exhibition in Vancouver, Canada.

Making Doing the Sheep Good

In 1966, two anthropologists, John Adair and Sol Worth, wanted to teach filmmaking to Navajo students. They hoped to learn how different cultures think about making movies. When they shared their idea, a Navajo elder named Sam Yazzie asked, "Will making movies do the sheep good?" Worth said no. Sam Yazzie then asked, "Then why make movies?"

This project led to a film series called Navajo Film Themselves. Navajo youth at Pine Springs, Arizona made these films. The story of this project is in a book called Through Navajo Eyes.

In 2013, Teresa Montoya directed her own film, Doing the Sheep Good. This film explores the connection between the Diné people and filmmaking. It follows the original films from the 1966 series as they are returned to their community. These seven films were very important but had not been seen by many Navajo people for a long time. Doing the Sheep Good shows these films being screened for the first time in 46 years.

Doing the Sheep Good has been shown at film festivals across the United States and in Brazil. It won the short film award at the 2014 Futures of Visual Anthropology Conference.