At UC Davis, we discover what matters in order to transform the world.
What Matters?
Lori Laiwa, Ph.D. student
Native American Studies
Native American Studies
What matters to Lori Laiwa?
Reviving her tribal language.
When UC Davis Native American Studies graduate student Lori Laiwa began transcribing notes on Central Pomo native speakers recorded by the late linguist J.P. Harrington, she found not only lost pieces of the Pomo language, but a link to her past. In one interview from about 1940, Laiwa discovered her grandmother describing the best mussel grounds in the Fort Bragg area.
The first Ph.D. student from her Pomo tribe, Laiwa pursues research to revitalize the language and culture of her grandmother and other ancestors, and shares that knowledge with her community and the world.
