In 1850, a breakaway Mormon group led by James Brewster separated from Brigham Young and headed southwest to California. On August 5, 1850, the group split further near Santa Fe, New Mexico, and was led by Royce Oatman. The other wagons gradually separated from the pack and the Oatman family traveled alone. Around the Yuma River in Arizona, in 1851, they were attacked by a savage band of Native Americans. All family members were murdered except their 15-year-old son Lorenzo, 14-year-old daughter Olive and 7-year-old daughter Mary Ann. This is the story of Olive Oatman.
While Lorenzo was left to die by the scene, the two sisters Olive and Mary Ann were held captive by the Yavapai tribe who later sold them to the Mohave. The younger Mary Ann could not acclimate herself to the lifestyle of her captors and died due to a lack of nutrition.
Olive Oatman spent roughly 1 year in captivity during which she learned to speak her captors' language and conducted small-scale farming to grow her food. Eventually, the Mohave accepted her as part of their family and branded her with a tattoo on her chin. Come learn of her struggle and the willingness to survive alone in a harsh environment, among strangers.
Here's a preview of what you'll discover in this book:
Olive Oatman's reminisces through the journey
Witnessing her family's massacre
Being held captive together with her sister
Adapting to the culture of her captors
Being sold to the Mohave tribe
Watching her sister die due to malnutrition
How she survived for almost a year
How she became a part of the Mohave tribe
Being rescued from captivity
Her reunion with her brother
Beginning a new life
..... And much more
Despite her difficult ordeal, Olive Oatman refused to utter a bad word against the native Americans. She also married upon her return and adopted a daughter. Living a peaceful life, she died of a heart attack in 1903. This book will provide you a personal account of her losing her family, living a life within two diametrically opposite cultures, and coming out alive to tell her story.