Olive Oatman Captivity of the Oatman Girls

Olive Oatman was fourteen years old when her Mormon family was attacked by a Native American tribe in present-day Arizona. Her parents and four siblings were killed, while Olive and a younger sister were captured and later sold to a Mohave tribe. Her sister would later die of hunger, but Olive survived and spent several years among the Mohave people. She was returned to mainstream American society, however, at the age of nineteen when rumors of a white girl living among the Mohave began to circulate. Her re-introduction caused something of a sensation, partly because of the prominent blue face tattoos she received during her time among the Mohave. She would later speak of her time with the Mohave very fondly, and her transition to a very different culture and then back again were no doubt quite complicated. This story was originally published in 1857 under the title "Captivity of the Oatman Girls Being an Interesting Narrative of Life Among the Apache and Mohave Indians" by Royal B. Stratton. It is re-published here in its entirety.