A Field Scientist, a Woman before her Time, and a Native Knight

Encounter With an Angry God by Carobeth Laird

A while ago (recorded here I believe) I wrote about Tailholt Tales by Frank Latta. He references (and has a forward by) a John P Harrington. There was something fascinating about this guy so I looked him up and found a biography by his wife of a few years Carobeth Laird, called Encounter with an Angry God. Something about his single-minded devotion to his work of recording and capturing the quickly disappearing languages of the Native Americans was fascinating to me. 

I tracked down her book at the library and I thought it might be a bitter memoir about how she was wronged and how she needed to set the record straight about the dude. Instead, I discovered a sweet, honest, forward-thinking, brilliant, kindred spirit kind of soulful person who wrote artfully, candidly, authentically, and with the purpose of conveying the uniqueness of her experience - the character of  Harrington and their work together. 

Harrington was a complex but entirely utilitarian person who had dedicated his life to preserving and recording the languages of the western tribes (particularly Californians.) I think they were married for about 7 years and this was around the time of WWI. He basically saw in her the perfect co-pilot and co-researcher and their marriage was completely unorthodox in that he seemed to exempt himself from any need to protect, provide, or nurture her in any way. She accepted this for a time as she was swept away by his obvious brilliance and the fascination of the work. During this time her parents cared for her daughter and their one daughter they had together which Harrington never invested thought, time, or money in, but saw as an obstacle to his mission. (until she was an adult then they forged a kind of relationship.)

He eventually thought she merited her own independent assignments and he sent her off to New Mexico and then to Parker, Arizona. While in Parker, she had a love at first sight encounter with an indigenous man named George Laird, a member of the Chemehuevi tribe, although his father was of European and Cherokee ancestry. 

They became friends and he became her primary "informant" as they called natives who participated in their research by interpreting words, supplying cultural information, and pronunciation guides etc. George became devoted to her almost instantly even though he was about 24 years older than she (she was about 24 when they met.) He was a jack of all trades, - man of wisdom, humor, solicitous of her care (that would have been appealing!), and one who appreciated nature, poetry, mysticism, and learning. 

George accompanied her back to Washington DC to meet Harrington and the three lived together for some months (awkward!) Harrington didn't seem to perceive that the other two were smitten with one another - he just seemed eager to find out what George (super willing informant) would be willing to share about his language etc. Although Harrington wasn't completely clueless. She remembers (this book was written when she was like 80 or something - so well after the facts) that he seemed uneasy but perhaps was unable to access the emotional intelligence part of his being to communicate or perceive what was happening. 

Anyway, she and George manage to buy a car and take off on an epic road trip west. (cars were in their early stages of development y'all.) Harrington is left to his research. Eventually, she and George married and started a little homestead outside of San Diego where they raised 5 more children. 

The focus of her book is on her life with Harrington and the idiosyncrasies that marked his character and their adventures. But her romance and the sweetness of her life with George Laird definitely are a big part of the story.

She also later published a book called the Chemeheuvis which I checked out and skimmed through. It is full of details about that people group - their language, customs, social organization, and mythology. It's amazing. It's based on all the recordings she was given by her husband George Laird prior to his death. 

This is one gal I would have loved to meet - and maybe I will!

Attractive Resourceful Woman encounters adventure, empowerment, and romance in the Klondike

Jefferson Randolph Smith alias "Soapy Smith" - an enterprising opportunistic adventure seeker wheeler dealer with a larger than life personality who relishes life on the gold frontier. Has made his living in various shady dealings and by relieving naive people of their hard earned money through offering various "investment" opportunities.

Tara Kane -  leaves San Francisco to search for her husband who left several years prior to strike it rich on the Alaskan gold frontier (before Alaska was a state.) She hasn't heard from him and their infant daughter has died leaving her bereft and free to set out to find him in the mysterious Yukon.

Daniel Kane - the missing husband who doesn't appear until the end of the story - posthumously 

Ernst Hart - German photographer who befriends and helps Tara on their initial boat voyage. He wants to capture the gold field in all its color and human interest.

Mrs. Miles - stern but warm-hearted self made woman who gives Tara a job and friendship.

The author writes "Tara is quite simply my ideal woman..."

Tara begins her journey as a fairly sheltered woman of her times. During the course of her search she learns how to drive a dog sled, camps in the arctic wilderness, shoots a man who attempts to assault and kill her, barters with prostitutes and charlatans, and develops a tenuous friendship with Soapy Smith whose favors and help she reluctantly receives at first. He doesn't give up and by the last third of the book they have adopted a child together and are unquestionably in love. He consults her and begins to craft his life and aspirations around her. (or so he claims) 

Hart continues to be her friend until she turns down his offer of marriage (typical.) 

The story ends with tumultuous political times of which Smith is the center. There is a gunfight which she witnesses. His antagonist has his back to Tara and Smith is shot down. She runs to his side and promises to marry him as he takes his last breath. 

It's not until she returns to San Francisco with her adopted son, that she learns that the opponent was actually her missing husband Daniel. The reader never knows whether Soapy suppressed her ability to find him or if the husband simply was idiotic enough to leave his gorgeous brave wife and then to ignore her highly publicized attempts to find him in the wilderness. 

But one (like the author) can't but admire her courage and the story is well-crafted and not really that predictable. 

Unschooler before John Holt pioneered the term

Terry is a six-year-old boy who doesn't want to go to school. In the pre-WWII Florida Everglades - his friend Mr. McCree has much more captivating things going on. 

This little Tom Sawyer says goodbye to his mom but instead of going to school evades the truant officer and visits the packinghouses, his friend LuBelle and her grandma, and his kindred spirit friend and old man named McCree who lives off the land and makes a bit of a living by selling plants, pinecones, and other Everglade items. 

McCree loves teaching him how to count, fish with his bare hands, make natural medicines, and drive his ancient truck. Society can't get over the fact that Terry's not in the four walls of a school building. His mom is at her wit's end trying to coerce him into going. His dad is busy with his work leading and organizing migrant worker camps.

Little Terrance "Terry" persists in his adventures. Eventually, he runs away for a few days and ends up rescuing McCree who falls out of a tree and breaks his leg. Terry never leaves his side. The whole incident ends up in a poignant court scene where all concerned are taught a lesson about life, relationships, and true learning.

As someone who learned about unschooling when my kids were small  - thanks to my friend Emilee and the influence of some eclectic friends in London, I became exposed to a different theory of life and learning that has influenced the upbringing of our kids in dramatic ways.

I am ever so grateful. Combine this exposure with a generational heritage of independent thinking and a "question the authorities" mentality. The book is charming and actually based on the true childhood of the author's husband. 

The Circle closes - romance and misguided zeal - Michener's Hawaii

The intrepid, emotional, charismatic, and infamous sea captain is the hero - but the excerpt of this novel called "From the Farm of Bitterness" is mostly the painfully accurate portrayal of protestant missionary activity in Hawaii during the early 1800s (1822) - as always Michener has fictionalized characters and throws in some actual ones. 

A tiny descendent of Puritans graduates from Yale and basically enters into an arranged marriage with a young lady of the appropriate family who ironically is heartbroken in wait of her seafaring love Captain 

Hoxworth who later proves to be everything that Abner Hale is not. In despair, she turns to religion in her solace and decides that being a missionary's wife on a faraway island is the perfect place to deposit her ardour. 

The couple embarks and just happens to encounter a vessel returning to New England guided by Captain Hoxworth who is returning to claim his bride Jerusha. He has renovated his entire cabin to make it comfortable for her only to discover that she's married to "this worm" as he refers to Abner. He storms onto their boat and demands to see her. 

Over the course of the years, you begin to ascertain that Captain Hoxworth never fully recovers from his devotion to her. She fully commits to her new life and probably is the most "successful" in that she actually shows love and respect for the people.

Abner Hale's "missionary" endeavors are fraught with disdain for the culture, misguided efforts, and zeal without love. The island has already been ravaged by European diseases and unhealthy dependencies. The only influence that seems positive is that of discouraging infanticide. 

Captain Hoxworth shows up on occasion - his boat met eagerly by naked native girls eager to "earn" goods and provisions that the sailors can provide. At one point he is horrified by Jerusha's strenuous poverty-stricken life and work-worn status. He rages at the stubborn Hale and is even party to their house being burnt down in his rage. 

In later years he has a complete New England house shipped and constructed for them in some kind of attempt at recompense. (ever romantic and grand gesturey - Hoxworth - stealing the show again.) Ultimately Hale becomes discouraged in the lack of "success" of his mission. He never even allows native converts to take on leadership and they eventually revert to their old ways. 

Jerusha dies and Captain Hoxworth returns and marries a beautiful Hawaiian woman. Their daughter ends up marrying Abner and Jerusha's son Micah and thus the circle is closed.