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Campus News - February 11, 2002 |
Ortiz Center hosts Fulbright scholar
Ecuadorian teaches indigenous culture courses
By Michael Padilla
Teaching
about the indigenous people and the culture of Ecuador is Yolanda Terans
primary goal as 2001-2002 Fulbright Scholar at the UNM Alfonso Ortiz Center
for Intercultural Studies.
Teran, of Kichwa nationality from Ecuador, is based at the Department of Anthropology
and Maxwell Museum of Anthropology through July 2002.
My focus is on indigenous peoples, poor people, women and children,
Teran said. My main goal is to help them learn about health, nutrition,
education, human rights and production.
She will give a public lecture at UNM this spring and teach two classes about
Indigenous Ecuadorian cultures through the Native American Studies Department
during the spring and summer semesters. She says she is available to meet with
students and faculty campus wide.
I have an open mind, open eye and open heart, she said.
Teran said she embraces every opportunity to learn about other cultures and
will visit pueblos and Indian communities in New Mexico. She said she will also
be available to the indigenous people of New Mexico. Its important
to learn from others, she said. Having an open dialogue with all
people is one way to share and to see what kind of problems we have.
This is Terans second Fulbright Scholar appointment. From 2000-2001,
after participating in a national contest, she served at Sisseton Wahpeton Community
College in Old Agency, South Dakota. She developed a cultural awareness program
with and for Dakota people and taught Growing Up Indian and Contemporary
Issues for Indian Life.
Teran said she is very fortunate to have received a solid education. I
have worked hard and I do my best, she said, Receiving my degrees
has opened many doors for me and it hasnt been easy.
She said that one of her most memorable accomplishments was winning a gold
medal as the best primary school student in Ecuador and being the national flag
carrier at the college.
Her professional positions have included National Coordinator of Education
and Culture with the National Council of Indigenous Women from Ecuador, CONMIE;
National Secretary of Indigenous Affairs of Ecuador in Quito, teacher of Andean
Museology at the Technological University of Ecuador in Quito and special advisor
at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York.
Teran has received numerous awards including scholarships from various universities. She holds a Master of Arts in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester, England and a Licentia in Museology from the University of Rio de Janeiro, UNI-RIO, Brazil.
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