Dennis Tedlock

Dennis Ernest Tedlock
Born	(1939-06-19)June 19, 1939 St. Joseph, Missouri, U.S.
Died	June 3, 2016(2016-06-03) (aged 76)
Occupation	Professor
Education	Tulane University
Notable awards	American Anthropological Association President's Award
Spouse	Barbara Tedlock

Dennis Ernest Tedlock (June 19, 1939 – June 3, 2016)^[1] was an ethnopoeticist, linguist, translator, and poet. He was a leading expert of Mayan language, culture, and arts, best known for his definitive translation of the Mayan text, Popul Vuh, for which he was awarded the PEN translation prize.^[2] He co-founded the method of ethnopoetics with Jerome Rothenburg in the late 1960s.^[2]

Early life

He received his Ph.D. in 1968 from Tulane University.^[3] In 1986, he won the PEN Translation Prize for his book Popul Vuh: The Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life,^[4] and in 1997 was the joint recipient of the American Anthropological Association President's Award, along with his wife, Barbara Tedlock.^[5]

Raised in New Mexico, he earned his Bachelor's degree from the University of New Mexico and a PhD in anthropology from Tulane University.^[2] He conducted most of his field work with his wife, Barbara Tedlock. The worked primarily with Mayan peoples in Guatemala and Belize.

Publications

Tedlock published 10 books and over 100 articles.^[2] He was editor of 3 academic journals, including the flagship publication of the American Anthropological Association. At the time of his death, he was the McNulty Professor of English and Research Professor of Anthropology at the State University of New York at Buffalo.^[6][3]

Tedlock was a proponent of dialogical anthropology, seeking to give indigenous peoples more input into the Western academic work written about their culture and practices.^[7] For his translation of the Popul Vuh, he consulted with Maya K’iche’ daykeeper, Andrés Xiloj.

Notes

1. Date information sourced from Library of Congress Authorities data, via corresponding WorldCat Identities linked authority file (LAF). Retrieved on 2008-05-26.
2. "Obituaries - Dennis Tedlock". www.buffalo.edu. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
3. "Department of Anthropology, University of Buffalo, Faculty listing". Archived from the original on 2008-04-02. Retrieved 2008-05-24.
4. "PEN translation prize winners". Archived from the original on 2007-06-08. Retrieved 2008-05-24.
5. "AAA Prizes and Awards". American Anthropological Association. Retrieved 2008-05-24.
6. "Dennis Tedlock - resume". Retrieved 2008-05-24.
7. "LitCharts". LitCharts. Retrieved 2023-03-31.

References

• Low, Denise (Summer–Fall 1992). "A comparison of the English translations of a Mayan text, the Popol Vuh" (reproduced online). Studies in American Indian Literatures. Series 2. 4 (2–3). New York: Association for Study of American Indian Literatures (ASAIL): 15–34. ISSN 0730-3238. OCLC 54533161. Retrieved 2008-05-26.