Mary Ann Oatman

Mary Ann Oatman
Olive (left) and Mary Oatman, Captivity of the Oatman Girls, 1857
Born	1844
Died	1851 (aged 6–7) Illinois
Nationality	American
Religion	Mormon
Parent(s)	Royce Oatman, Mary Ann Oatman
Relatives	Olive Oatman

Mary Ann Oatman (1844–1851) was the sister of Olive Oatman, and a survivor of abuse by the Yavapai people (though many historians argue that it is impossible to know whether or not these were Yavapai, or some other tribe).^[1]

Mary Ann Oatman was born to Royce Oatman and his wife, also named Mary Ann, in Illinois. The Oatmans were members of the Mormon religion. Believing that they were immigrating to a divine country, the Oatmans travelled to Arizona, where they were massacred by Yavapai. The only survivors of the Oatman family massacre were Mary Ann, her sister Olive and brother Lorenzo, who was badly injured.

Mary Ann and her sister Olive were taken as slaves by the Yavapai. Tied with ropes and forced to walk along the Arizonan desert, the girls' health suffered deeply; they became hungry and dehydrated. Whenever they asked for rest or water, they would be poked by the Yavapai with lances.

Mary Ann and Olive were forced to hard labor, and they would be bothered by Yavapai children, who used sticks to burn them.

In 1851, the sisters were traded to the Mohave tribe for a couple of horses and bags of beans. The Mohave chief and his family welcomed the Oatman sisters with love and care, giving them food and providing them with a family life. Unfortunately for young Mary Ann, the help came too late: her body affected by the hunger and illness she suffered as a captive, she died soon after being taken by the chief's family. Shortly before dying, she tried to comfort her sister by telling her "I have been a great deal of trouble to you, Olive. You will miss me for a while, but you will not have to work so hard when I'm gone".

References

1. Braatz, Timothy (2003). Surviving Conquest. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press. pp. 253–4.