Doris McLemore

Doris Lamar-McLemore

Doris McLemore in 2010
Born Doris Jean Lamar
(1927-04-16)April 16, 1927
Anadarko, Oklahoma
Died August 30, 2016(2016-08-30) (aged 89)
Anadarko, Oklahoma
Occupation Teacher (of Wichita language classes)
Known for Last fluent speaker of the Wichita language

Doris Jean Lamar-McLemore (April 16, 1927 – August 30, 2016) was the last fluent speaker of the Wichita language,[1] a Caddoan language spoken by the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, indigenous to the U.S. states of Oklahoma and Texas.

Early life

McLemore was born in 1927 in Anadarko, Oklahoma.[2] Her mother was Wichita and her father was European-American.[3] McLemore was raised by her fullblood Wichita maternal grandparents, and Wichita was her first language.[4]

McLemore graduated from Riverside Indian School, an American Indian boarding school, in 1947 and worked as a house mother there for 30 years.[4] She married twice and had a son and two daughters.[4] In 1959 McLemore moved back to live near Gracemont, Oklahoma, to live among her relatives.

Language preservation work

In 1962, McLemore met David Rood, a linguist from the University of Colorado, and they collaborated to preserve the Wichita language.[3]

McLemore taught language classes for the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes[5] and before her death, was collaborating with linguist David Rood to create dictionary and language CDs.[3]

"Doris is amazing for being able to retain as much as she does without having anyone to speak it to on a daily basis," said former Wichita tribal chairman, Gary McAdams.[4] She died on August 30, 2016, at the age of 89.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "The Last Living Speaker of the Wichita Language: NPR" (Audio interview).
  2. ↑ "Last fluent speaker of Wichita tribal language preserves what's left." Dallas Morning News.
  3. 1 2 3 Ruckman, S. E. "Tribal language fading away." Tulsa World. 26 Nov 2007 (retrieved 3 Oct 2009)
  4. 1 2 3 4 Somby, Liv Inger, published USA: The Last to Speak Wichita Language. Gáldu. (retrieved 3 Oct 2009)
  5. ↑ Wichita Language Class. Wichita and Affiliated Tribes. 18 Feb 2009 (retrieved 3 Oct 2009)
  6. ↑ Poolaw, Rhiannon (31 August 2016). "Last Wichita Speaker Passes Away". ABC News 7. KSWO. Retrieved 1 September 2016.

External links

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