More stories of extraordinary women on the website Olive Ann Oatman was born in 1837 in Illinois, one of seven children of a Mormon couple. Her father had to give up his job as a farmer due to an accident and decided that his family would move to New Mexico, where he hoped it would be easier to provide for them. The Oatmans set out in 1850 with other Mormons. In 1851 they reached New Mexico, but decided to go further to California. As it turned out later, it was not a good decision.
Indians murdered part of the family and kidnapped two girls
At Maricopa Wells, the Oatmans and other traveling Mormons entered Indian territory. Some families decided to stay and settle there. The Oatmans decided to go further, probably alone. About 140 kilometers east of the city of Yuma, on the Gila River, the family encountered a group of Indians (probably members of the Toto tribe, Western Yavapai or Tolkepayas). The indigenous people hoped that the travelers would share their food supplies with them, they wanted to get some tobacco and weapons from them. The Oatmans knew that they could not share with the Indians because their supplies were already very scarce. The Indians decided to get what they needed by force. They murdered the parents and four children, kidnapped Olive, then thirteen, and her seven-year-old sister Mary Ann. The attackers thought that the girls’ fifteen-year-old brother, Lorenzo, was also dead. However, he was only wounded and managed to reach the settlement, where he was treated.
Slaves or tribe members?
Olive and Mary Ann worked as slaves for the Indians. Their task was, among others, carrying wood and water. A year later, they were sold to the Mohave tribe and placed in the leader’s family, where they were treated well. They were given a piece of land and dressed like the rest of the tribe. It is not known whether they were treated as part of the family. Some people believe that they felt like slaves but did not run away because of the Stockholm syndrome. Olive and Mary Ann were tattooed on their chin and arms. This way, they had tattoos like the rest of the tribe members (it was not a symbol of slavery). It was his sign and a guarantor of safety in the transition to life after death. In 1855, Mary Ann died during the great famine.
After long negotiations, she was released
On February 28, 1856, Olive regained her freedom. A rumor spread around the neighborhood that there was a white woman living in the Mohave tribe. An Indian messenger from the Fort Yuma government arrived at the village and demanded its release. Long negotiations began, and finally the girl was released in exchange for blankets and fruit. Before Olive was a twenty-day journey to Fort Yuma. She was accompanied on the way by Topeka – the daughter of the couple who took the girl in. This is also an argument that Olive was not treated like a slave, but a family member. In 1865, at the age of 28, Olive married cattle rancher John Brant Fairchild. The couple did not have any children of their own, they adopted a girl. Olive was eager to engage in charity work and hid her tattoo under a veil. She probably suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder – she suffered from severe headaches and severe depression. At the age of 66, she died of a heart attack.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
