Katie Hickman, author and expert on the American West, dives deep into the remarkable life of Olive Oatman, who was captured as a child and embraced by the Mojave tribe. She discusses Olive's journey from captivity to community, highlighting the cultural clash between her Mormon upbringing and her new identity. The conversation also touches on Olive's transformation into a media sensation, the complexities of her nickname in Mojave culture, and themes of resilience and survival that pervade her extraordinary story.
42:26
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
menu_book Books
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
question_answer ANECDOTE
Oatman Family Journey
The Oatman family, Brewsterite pilgrims, journeyed to a fictional "Land of Bashan" in 1850.
En route, they faced internal conflicts and dwindling resources, ending up stranded and vulnerable.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Yavapai Attack and Mojave Trade
The Yavapai tribe attacked the Oatmans, killing all but Olive and her younger sister, Mary Ann.
The surviving sisters were taken captive and later sold to the Mojave tribe.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Life with the Mojave
The Mojave tribe treated Olive and Mary Ann with kindness, integrating them into their community.
Mary Ann tragically died during a drought, but Olive was cared for and tattooed as a sign of belonging.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Brave Hearted by Katie Hickman offers a comprehensive and vivid portrayal of women's lives during the American Westward Expansion. The book delves into the stories of women from diverse backgrounds, including missionaries, settlers, Native Americans, African Americans, and Chinese immigrants, using diaries and memoirs to illustrate their courage and hardships. Hickman's narrative provides a nuanced understanding of the complex transformations in the American West.
The Unredeemed Captive
John Demos
The Unredeemed Captive tells the story of the 1704 raid on Deerfield, Massachusetts, where a French and Indian war party abducted Puritan minister John Williams and his family. The book focuses on Eunice Williams, who was captured at age four and later chose to stay with her Mohawk captors, adopting their culture and marrying a Mohawk man. This narrative explores themes of colonial politics, cultural identity, and the complex relationships between colonists and Native Americans during that era.
Blood Meridian
Or, The Evening Redness in the West
Cormac McCarthy
Blood Meridian is a historical novel that depicts the brutal reality of the American West in the mid-19th century. The story follows a 14-year-old runaway from Tennessee, known as 'the kid', who joins the Glanton gang, a historical group of scalp hunters. The gang, led by John Joel Glanton and the enigmatic Judge Holden, is contracted to kill and scalp Native Americans but soon devolves into indiscriminate violence against various groups. The novel explores themes of brutality, the loss of innocence, and the harsh realities of human nature, with Judge Holden serving as a central figure embodying philosophical and sadistic elements. The book is known for its unflinching portrayal of violence and its allegorical exploration of human existence[2][3][5].
In 1850, 13-year-old Olive Oatman and her family set off on the perilous journey by foot from Missouri to Arizona. Olive and her little sister were captured by a group of Native Americans and then sold to another. Yet rather than being treated as slaves, the girls were treated with kindness and welcomed as kin. But her version of her story was to be twisted and rewritten in the years that followed… Listen as Anita and William are joined once again by Katie Hickman to discuss the extraordinary experiences of Olive Oatman.
Empire 
