APRIL 16, 1927

WITCHITA TEACHER DORIS LAMAR-MCLEMORE BORN–LAST WITCHITA SPEAKER

McLemore was born in Anadarko, Oklahoma (OK). Her mother was Wichita and she was raised by her fullblood Wichita maternal grandparents. Doris grew up speaking the Wichita language– a Caddoan language spoken by the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes. She graduated from Riverside Indian School in 1947 and worked as a house mother there for 30 years. In 1959, McLemore moved back to live near Gracemont, OK, to live among her relatives. In 1962, she met David Rood, a linguist from the University of Colorado, and they collaborated to preserve the Wichita language. McLemore taught language classes for the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes and before her death, was collaborating with Rood to create dictionary and language CDs. Doris, the last native speaker of the Wichita language, died on August 30, 2016, in Anadarko.

Sources:

Rhiannon Poolaw, “Last Wichita speaker passes away,” KSWO, 8/31/2016.  Last Wichita speaker passes away (kswo.com)

Wikipedia

Photo:  Neddy1234, 8/21/2010. Permissive Use.