Major: Religion
What are you researching?
I am exploring whether or not the definition of repatriation (a term used in the museum industry) should be expanded to include religious food items and under what circumstances (origin, profit, or use) might that conversation sway in one direction or the other.
Who is your faculty mentor or mentors?
I’m working with Sam Thomas, PhD and Christine Wilson, PhD.
How did you come to this area of research and this question in particular?
I’m an employee at the Chumash Indian Museum here in Thousand Oaks. I work really closely with the tribe and there’s a shellfish in our ocean called the abalone, which is very sacred to the Chumash. Unfortunately, for lots of reasons, their access to it is limited and that’s a question of both religious freedom and some different museum practices. So I was looking for a way to combine all those together in my research and this question came to be a perfect blend.
What has your process been like so far, and have you had any surprises?
Thus far, I’ve been doing a lot of library research and looking at the laws that are relevant to my question. This includes some of the other resources of the natural world that native people have been looking to reclaim and how they’ve sort of gone about that process and what has been successful and what hasn’t. It’s been really interesting to hear what has actually caused some of the issues with abalone versus what the media would have you think. I’m really excited to see what sorts of results will come from my work.
Is your research connected at all with your faculty mentors?
So Dr. Thomas is a specialist in religion and food, and Dr. Wilson is a native law and policy expert. All of our knowledge bases combined have been a really great network.
What do you expect or hope to see in your results?
Yeah, so I have a couple different intended results. I’m not looking to solve the abalone crisis. I’m instead looking to create a conversation about what this crisis looks like and how it’s impacting native people so that the tribe itself can go forward and look for solutions because the tribe knows exactly what needs to be done and what’s going to work for them and what won’t. So it’s not my place to insert that, but just turn people’s attention to it.
This isn’t an issue that I think a lot of people know about, but it’s really important. And repatriation is necessary for ending cycles of violence in the museum industry, which is something that I’m really passionate about.
Has your research experience helped influence your academic direction and your future goals?
I will be continuing this research into my capstone project and hopefully into grad school and even a PhD depending on what direction it takes. But it’s been really exciting to discover that not only do I love religious studies, but I love American Indian studies and the museum industry and I’m excited to see where that takes me in the future.
What are your plans after graduation?
My plans right now are to take a gap year or two to continue working at the museum. After I’d look into grad school with some sort of blended emphasis of religious studies, American Indian studies, and museum studies. I’d hope to get a PhD and we’ll see where I go from there.
Are there any other experiences in religion major or on campus that you found particularly exciting, impactful or important?
I love the religion major because there are so few of us, which means that we all know each other really well. I’ve had access to not only my two faculty mentors but all of our staff really closely, and everyone has expertise that’s relevant to what I’m researching. I get to have a lot of eyes and hands on my project as well as a ton of support, and that has been incredible for keeping everything going.
Any thoughts on campus that you found particularly fun or important or that you would recommend to other students?
Spend as much time outside as you can. We have beautiful trees and fields and water running through the center of Kingsman Park. Sitting in nature is a really good refresh and I love it out there.
Alexia is a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow. You can learn more about her research project on our YouTube channel.