Carobeth Laird papers

Collection

Identifier: MS-109

Staff Only

Collection Scope and Contents

This collection contains manuscripts, press clippings, and other material regarding the research of Carobeth Laird a noted anthropologist, linguistics specialist, and ethnographer who studied the Chemehuevi people of southeastern California and western Arizona. Material regarding her first husband, American linguist and ethnologist John Peabody Harrington, is also included.

Dates

Creation: 1927-1991

Creator

Laird, Carobeth, 1895-1983 (Person)

Languages

The collection is in English.

Access

This collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

Copyright Unknown: Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction, and/or commercial use, of some materials may be restricted by gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing agreement(s), and/or trademark rights. Distribution or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. To the extent other restrictions apply, permission for distribution or reproduction from the applicable rights holder is also required. Responsibility for obtaining permissions, and for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Biographical Note

Carobeth Laird was an accomplished anthropologist, linguistics specialist, and ethnographer who studied the Chemehuevi people of southeastern California and western Arizona.

Laird was born in Coleman, Texas on 20 July, 1895 and married noted linguist and ethnologist John Peabody Harrington in 1916. Together they conducted field work and ethnographic research on Native American tribes. Laird's experiences through six years of marriage to John Harrington led to her book Encounter with an Angry God, published in 1975.

After the dissolution of her marriage to Harrington, Carobeth married George Laird, her principal informant while studying the Chemehuevi tribe. Laird’s work focused particularly on the language and mythology of the Chemehuevi, culminating in two books: The Chemehuevis (1976) and Mirror and Pattern (1984).

In her later years Laird lived in a nursing home and wrote a memoir, titled Limbo (1979), based on her experiences there and her view of time.

Carobeth Laird passed away on the fifth of August, 1983.

Extent

8.04 Linear Feet (11 boxes, 2 flat file folders)

Additional Description

Abstract

This collection contains manuscripts, press clippings, and other material regarding the research of Carobeth Laird, a noted anthropologist, linguistics specialist, and ethnographer who studied the Chemehuevi people of southeastern California and western Arizona. Materials regarding her first husband, American linguist and ethnologist John Peabody Harrington, are also included.

Collection Arrangement

The collection is arranged into three series as follows:

Series 1: Literary works, 1970-1991; undated
Series 2: Lynn Laredo, 1976-1987
Series 3: Personal, 1927-1987

Acquisition Information

Provenance unknown.

Processing History

Processed by Julianna Gil, Student Processing Assistant, 2018.

Processing of the Carobeth Laird papers was completed by undergraduate students from the University of California, Riverside as part of the Special Collections & University Archives Backlog Processing Project started in 2015. This project was funded by the UCR Library and administered by Jessica Geiser, Collections Management Librarian.