Carobeth Laird facts for kids

Carobeth (Tucker) Laird (July 20, 1895 – August 5, 1983) was an American writer and expert on cultures. She was known for her books and studies about the Chemehuevi people. They live in southeastern California and western Arizona. Her book, The Chemehuevis, was called "one of the finest, most detailed ethnographies ever written" by another expert. She also wrote two memoirs, Encounter with an Angry God and Limbo. These books told the stories of her first marriage and her time in a care home for the elderly.

Early Life and Learning

Carobeth Tucker was born in Coleman, Texas. She found out she was good at languages during a trip to Mexico in 1909. In 1915, she had her first daughter, Elisabeth. After that, she went to the San Diego Normal School. There, she took a language class taught by John P. Harrington. He was a very busy and unique language and culture expert.

Harrington was very impressed by Carobeth's skill with languages. They got married the next year. They had one daughter together, named Awona.

Her Work and Discoveries

Helping with Fieldwork

Carobeth helped Harrington with his work in different places. He worked for a government group that studied American cultures. She learned how to study cultures from him. For seven years, she traveled with Harrington across California and the Southwest. She helped him gather many notes about different cultures.

In 1919, Harrington sent her to Parker, Arizona. Her job was to work with the Chemehuevi people. While there, Carobeth worked closely with a Chemehuevi man named George Laird. He lived on the Colorado River Indian Reservation. George Laird spoke Chemehuevi, Spanish, Mojave, and English very well. He had also taken part in old tribal ceremonies.

Life with George Laird

Carobeth separated from Harrington in 1922. Then, she and George Laird got married. They had five children together. One of their children, Georgia Laird Culp, worked to get federal recognition for the Chemehuevi people.

After they married, the Lairds kept working. They wrote down the stories and history of the Chemehuevi people. George Laird passed away in 1940. Carobeth Laird then needed to support her family. She worked for the Christian Science Church until 1960.

Getting Her Work Published

Laird tried to publish her book about the Chemehuevi. But a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles discouraged her. He said her work was "old-fashioned." She kept writing for the Chemehuevi newsletter. She also did research with her daughter, Georgia Laird Culp, for the Chemehuevi association.

Laird's work did not get much attention from scholars until the early 1970s. She shared her book with Lowell Bean and his students. Bean helped arrange for her book, The Chemehuevis, to be published in 1976.

While this book was being prepared, Laird was encouraged to write about her time working with Harrington. This book, Encounter with an Angry God, came out in 1975. It shared many of the tough parts of fieldwork. It also talked about the end of her marriage with Harrington.

Her Ideas and Later Books

Laird's work combined cultural study with traditional stories. She believed that songs and myths were key ways the Chemehuevi passed down their tribal memories and social rules. She also noted that Chemehuevi women seemed to have equal standing. Their voices were heard equally at meetings. Also, male and female shamans (spiritual healers) were given the same respect.

In 1974, Laird's health declined. She went to a care facility for the elderly. She was concerned about how older people were treated there. So, she wrote Limbo, a book about her experiences. This book has since been used in medical schools. It helps students understand what patients might feel.

Laird's last book, Mirror and Pattern, came out after she passed away in 1984. This book looked at the language and structure of Chemehuevi myths. Laird's studies were also published in several articles. These appeared in the Journal of California Anthropology.

Laird's letters and writings are kept at the University of California, Riverside.