Olive Oatman Born 1837 Painting

In 1850 while on a religious pilgrimage from Illinois to Southern California, Olive Oatman and her family were brutally attacked by a native American tribe believed to be the Tolkepaya Yavapai in southern Arizona territory. Her Mother, Father, and 5 siblings were murdered or left for dead while Olive and her younger sister were taken as slaves. After spending one year with the Yavapai as slaves, Olive and her sister were traded to the Mojave tribe, which were a more prosperous and compassionate people. Over the next 6 years, Olive adapted to Mojave life, learning the language, participating in tribal activities, and even receiving traditional facial tattoos, which suggests a degree of acceptance within the community. This was a significant cultural marker, as tattooing was reserved for Mohave tribe members only. Rumors spread that a white woman was living amongst the Mohave people and Olive was tracked down and sent back to white society, possibly against her will. Eventually, Olive met Royal Byron Stratton, a Methodist reverend who would helm the first published story of her saga with “The Captivity of the Oatman Girls Among the Yavapai* and Mohave Indians” The book became a best seller although the story was most likely reshaped to fit a popular narrative at the time: The captivity story. Olive embarked on a nationwide book tour with Stratton, emerging as one of the earliest known female public speakers. Olive is also believed to be one of the first tattooed white women in the America’s. Acrylic paint on 15 oz canvas. Unstretched, ships in a tube. Painted surface measures 54x42 inches with 3 inches of extra canvas on each edge to account for stretching onto a frame.

Painting:Acrylic on Canvas

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:42 W x 54 H x 0.1 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.