The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman (Women in the West)

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What transpires after this is, Olive meets a Methodist minister by the name of Stratton, who then decides to write a book of her account, making the Mojave Indians appear as savages, and Olive, who has to live in this white society goes along with him, even giving speeches throughout the country. I'm a huge fan of these books now. This audiobook converted me and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to listen to a fantastic story - especially if you are wanting to entertain an entire car full of folk on trips. I cannot even imagine how much fun it would have been to listen to this in a group! In 1865 she married a rich rancher. He only asked of her one thing: to forget her past. To leave the lectures behind and put on a veil to cover the tattoo. She did so, letting time go by like that, drop by drop. Year after year. Kroeber, Alfred L.; Kroeber, Clifton (1962). "Olive Oatman's First Account of Her Captivity Among The Mohave". California Historical Society Quarterly. 41 (4): 309–317. JSTOR 43773362.

Among these “conquering foreigners” was the Oatman family. They were Mormons led by the fanaticism of spiritual leader Pastor James C. Brewster. It was his brazen “charge forward” attitude that would inevitably lead them to disaster. Olive Ann Oatman (September 7, 1837–March 21, 1903) was a white American woman celebrated in her time for her captivity and later release by Native Americans in the Mojave Desert region when she was a teenager. [1] She later lectured about her experiences. There’s a lot we don’t know about Olive’s life with the Mohaves, but we do know that they tattooed her face, which was a sign that she was considered part of their tribe. She was treated well by the Mohaves but mostly stayed quiet about specific details concerning her life with them. I can't imagine the inner storms with which Olive lived her life. And never really being able to tell her authentic truth, but to hold it within for a lifetime. It's sad. But perhaps we all do that to some extent, but her inner life must have been a huge one to keep tamped down.Derounian-Stodola, Kathryn Zabelle (October 1998). "The Captive and Her Editor: The Ciphering of Olive Oatman and Royal B. Stratton". Prospects. 23: 171–192. doi: 10.1017/S0361233300006311.

Olive Oatman was a 14-year-old member of a Mormon splinter group. Her family was killed by Yavapai en route between Tucson and Yuma in 1851, and she and her younger sister were first enslaved by the Yavapai, then sold to the Mohave. The Mohave raised them as members of the tribe; her sister died, but Olive was returned to white society after five years with the two Indian tribes. It is actually a shame that she had to return to the white society, a society that was harsh towards those who stood up for Native Americans, who fantasized about her sexual life with them, and who considered her a freak since the Mojave Indians had put a blue tattoo on her chin. I can't imagine that any of her life had been that great for her. Putting that subplot aside it was still a good historical novel. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn about the Halifax Explosion.

a b Van Huygen, Meg (2015-11-16). "Olive Oatman, the Pioneer Girl Abducted by Native Americans Who Returned a Marked Woman". Mental Floss . Retrieved 2022-08-05.