Carobeth Laird
Encyclopedia
Carobeth Laird (July 20, 1895 - August 5, 1983) is known for her ethnographic studies of the Chemehuevi
people of southeastern California and western Arizona. Her book, The Chemehuevi, was characterized by ethnographer Lowell John Bean (1985:5) as "one of the finest, most detailed ethnographies ever written".
Carobeth Tucker was born in Coleman, Texas
. In 1915, she took a course in linguistics at San Diego Normal School that was taught by John P. Harrington, an extremely productive but also eccentric linguist and ethnographer. Harrington was impressed by her natural linguistic abilities, and they were married the following year. She assisted him in his field work and learned ethnographic skills from him, but their marriage was troubled. They were divorced in 1922, and Carobeth married George Laird, her principal Chemehuevi informant
.
During the period prior to George Laird's death in 1940, Carobeth Laird collected extensive information on the Chemehuevi, particularly concerning language and mythology
. She came to the attention of the scholarly world in the early 1970s, when she was "discovered" by students of Bean. Her ethnographic studies were published in two books, The Chemehuevi (1976) and Mirror and Pattern (1984), as well as several articles in the Journal of California Anthropology
.
Carobeth Laird also published an account of her marriage with Harrington, Encounter with an Angry God (1975), which received some critical acclaim, and Limbo (1979), a description of her experiences in a nursing home.
Laird's letters and manuscripts are on file at the University of California, Riverside
.
Chemehuevi
The Chemehuevi are a federally recognized Native American tribe enrolled in the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe of the Chemehuevi Reservation. They are the southernmost branch of Paiutes.-Reservation:...
people of southeastern California and western Arizona. Her book, The Chemehuevi, was characterized by ethnographer Lowell John Bean (1985:5) as "one of the finest, most detailed ethnographies ever written".
Carobeth Tucker was born in Coleman, Texas
Coleman, Texas
Coleman is a city in Coleman County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,127 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Coleman County.-Geography:Coleman is located at ....
. In 1915, she took a course in linguistics at San Diego Normal School that was taught by John P. Harrington, an extremely productive but also eccentric linguist and ethnographer. Harrington was impressed by her natural linguistic abilities, and they were married the following year. She assisted him in his field work and learned ethnographic skills from him, but their marriage was troubled. They were divorced in 1922, and Carobeth married George Laird, her principal Chemehuevi informant
Informant (linguistics)
An informant or consultant in linguistics is a native speaker who acts as a linguistic reference for a language being studied. The informant's role is that of a senior interpreter, who demonstrates native pronunciation, provides grammaticality judgments regarding linguistic well-formedness, and may...
.
During the period prior to George Laird's death in 1940, Carobeth Laird collected extensive information on the Chemehuevi, particularly concerning language and mythology
Chemehuevi traditional narratives
Chemehuevi traditional narratives include myths, legends, tales, and oral histories preserved by the Chemehuevi people of the Mojave Desert and Colorado River of southeastern California and western Arizona....
. She came to the attention of the scholarly world in the early 1970s, when she was "discovered" by students of Bean. Her ethnographic studies were published in two books, The Chemehuevi (1976) and Mirror and Pattern (1984), as well as several articles in the Journal of California Anthropology
Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology
The Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology is a leading regional source of scholarly information on the ethnography, archaeology, linguistics, and Native American history of the Western United States created by Harry Lawton....
.
Carobeth Laird also published an account of her marriage with Harrington, Encounter with an Angry God (1975), which received some critical acclaim, and Limbo (1979), a description of her experiences in a nursing home.
Laird's letters and manuscripts are on file at the University of California, Riverside
University of California, Riverside
The University of California, Riverside, commonly known as UCR or UC Riverside, is a public research university and one of the ten general campuses of the University of California system. UCR is consistently ranked as one of the most ethnically and economically diverse universities in the United...
.