Carobeth Tucker Laird, 1895-1983

"Carobeth's contributions to the field of anthropology successfully combined ethnography and mythology" (Gacs 1989:205).

An American ethnographer and linguist, Carobeth Tucker Laird was known especially for her efforts to preserve Chemehuevi language and mythology.

In 1909, at the age of 14, Carobeth traveled with her parents to Mexico, where she discovered that she had a tremendous facility for languages. It wasn't until 1915, however, that Carobeth was introduced to linguistics. She enrolled in a summer school linguistics course that was taught by John Peabody Harrington. Harrington, who focused on recording the languages of the Native Americans of the western U.S., trained Carobeth.

In 1916, Carobeth and Harrington were married, and she joined him on his first field trips through California and the Southwest. For seven years (1916-23), she was little more than an indentured servant to her husband (Gacs 1989:203). However, during the summer of 1919, Carobeth was sent to Arizona, where she met her future husband, George Laird, a Chemehuevi Indian.

At the Colorado River Indian Reservation, Carobeth participated and witnessed old tribal ceremonies. After working with George Laird for four years, Carobeth divorced Harrington and married George. For twenty years, George dictated Chemehuevi texts depicting their myths and tribal history. At the time of George's death in 1940, Carobeth had the most complete collection of Chemehuevi myths ever recorded.

Carobeth's collection of field notes, tapes, and other memorabilia has been established at the University of California, Riverside. A museum dedicated to Chemehuevi studies has been proposed.

Selected Works by and about Carobeth Tucker Laird

Ethridge, J. M., and B. Kopala 1983 Laird Carobeth. In Contemporary Authors 1-4:557.
Folkart, Burt 1983 Writer, Discovered at 80, Dies at 87. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 10, 22.
Laird, Carobeth 1975 Encounter with an Angry God: Recollections of My Life with John Peabody Harrington. Banning, Calif.: Malki Museum Press.
Laird, Carobeth 1976 The Chemehuevis. Banning, Calif.: Malki Museum Press.
Laird, Carobeth 1984 Mirror and Pattern: George Laird's World of Chemehuevi Mythology. Banning, Calif.: Malki Museum Press.

Interesting Websites

Linguistic Anthropology Sources
Environmental Concerns
International Journal of American Linguistics
Indigenous Education Links

Sources:

Gacs, Ute 1989 Carobeth Tucker Laird. In Women Anthropologists: A Biographical Dictionary. Ute Gacs, et al., eds. Pp. 202-7. New York: Greenwood Press.
Laird, Carobeth 1979 Limbo: A Memoir about Life in a Nursing Home by a Survivor. Novato, Calif.: Chandler & Sharp.
Laird, Carobeth 1976 The Chemehuevis. Banning, Calif.: Malki Museum Press.