Did the author Oliver LaFarge ever meet Ira Hays,?

Question

or is it another urban ledgend? Some say LaFarge wrote 'Laughing Boy' after meeting Ira Hays, can this be substantuated or not?

Answer 1

Since Laughing Boy was published in 1929

"Laughing Boy is a 1929 novel by Oliver La Farge about the clash between American culture and that of the southwestern Native American."

and in 1929, Ira Hayes was about 6 years old

Ira Hamilton Hayes (January 12, 1923 – January 24, 1955) was a Akimel O’odham, or Pima Indian, and an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Community. A veteran of World War II's Battle of Iwo Jima, Hayes was trained as a Paramarine in the United States Marine Corps (USMC), and became one of five Marines, along with a US Navy corpsman, immortalized in the iconic photograph of the flag raising on Iwo Jima.[1] [2]

I doubt it. Besides, Ira was Pima and the protagonist of "Laughing Boy is Navajo.

But Oliver's adopted son, Peter, wrote a famous song about Ira


"The Ballad of Ira Hayes" was written by folk singer Peter LaFarge. It tells the story of Ira Hayes, one of the 5 Marines and 1 Navy Corpsman who raised the flag on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. The song has been recorded many times; the most popular version is by Johnny Cash.