The Captivity of the Oatman Girls Among the Apache and Mohave Indians (Native American) [Paperback]

Lorenzo D. and Olive A. Oatman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Native American | Publication Date: June 22, 1994

This riveting true-life story recounts the capture of a pair of Mormon sisters after Indians attacked their covered wagon and massacred their family in 1851. It relates their harsh life as slaves among the Apache and Mohave tribes and the miraculous search and rescue conducted by their surviving brother.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (June 22, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486280780
• ISBN-13: 978-0486280783
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #696,003 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Permanently Changed My View of American History, October 9, 2005

By 

David A. Bielby "Ev Xpistw" (Normal, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Captivity of the Oatman Girls Among the Apache and Mohave Indians (Native American) (Paperback)

I found this book in a Souix Indian Tribe Bookstore in the Dakotas a long time ago. (For the reviewers who think it is racist, why do Indian bookstores feature this book then?)

After reading the amazing story of the Oatman family and what happened to them, I understood the reason why Americans rose up and insisted that the government squelch Indian uprisings in the West and Southwest. This book destroyed many popular myths in my mind about Indian culture and American English culture in the 19th century. It also reveals a lot of detail about the way these two sub tribes of the Apache & Mohave Nations lived. The good and the bad are depicted side by side. For example, the Oatman girls were apparently never molested by the Apache or the Mohave, but they were treated pretty harshly at times (not to mention the unprovoked murder of their parents).
The account of the difference in lifestyle between the two tribes that held the Oatman girls is also very interesting (at least for me it was fascinating). It was like looking back into history and seeing things from a perspective you would NEVER see in the movies.

It shows that the tribes varied quite a bit, and that America was reluctant to send out the Cavalry-at least in this case. But this book may have been the trigger that changed the reluctance into a "righteous" indignation.

I think it also reveals something about one Mormon family who travelled (or tried to travel) to California...and what happened to them on the way. The spirituality of the family (if the account is accurate) is remarkable and the customs of other religious people around them are as well. (I'm not a Mormon). The book is not about spreading religion, be does exhibit the religious practice and character of many of the people in the story in detail.

This book shows how the US government was slow to rescue people who were captives...and how the power of the free press turned that around. For when this book was first published, it was a best seller in the USA. The newspapers in the west coast apparently splashed this story throughout LA. Apparently it created a groundswell public outcry that the military provide safer passageways across this vast land.

I think every American should be required to read this as part of a US History class. I'm sure some of the accounts are hyped a bit...but one cannot help but feel they are looking into history from the authentic eyes of a 19th century history shaping author. And that it brings one far closer to something that happened, that may have been very important to changing the way the US Government dealt with Indian tribes out west, even though it is clear not all tribes acted as the ones in this book did.

I highly recommend this book!

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting--if One-Sided--Captive Narrative, February 26, 2007

By 

Sunny Sewing Honeybee - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Captivity of the Oatman Girls Among the Apache and Mohave Indians (Native American) (Paperback)

This book is a "captive narrative" about two children abducted by a breakaway (p. 105) tribe. While some reviewers have classified it as "racist," it's only reasonable that Olive would feel resentment toward her kidnappers and the people who killed her family, regardless of race or creed. Olive, as the narrative progresses, chides herself for originally lumping all Indians together as one, because she learns that each person is an individual (p. 147). However, because some of the language is harsh, and this is a one-sided account, it would be helpful to read this in conjunction with an Indian narrative. The author (the book wasn't written by the Oatmans), when narrating, does come across as racist and as trying to make a point--the conclusion is especially biased and an illustration of "Manifest Destiny."

As another reviewer mentioned, the language and writing style can be difficult to follow (and Dover's text spacing is somewhat difficult to read, as can be witnessed in the preview) but once you catch the flow of how three voices have been combined (that of the narrator, Olive, and her brother Lorenzo), it becomes easier to read . . . and quite fascinating.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting historical story of the old west, March 21, 2009

By 

angelajhc (Westminster, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Captivity of the Oatman Girls Among the Apache and Mohave Indians (Native American) (Paperback)

I really like this book. It was a somewhat difficult read, but I just kept in mind that it was written in 1857 when the American language and writings were much different than they are today. I thought the story was very intriguing and I actually went online and found more information on the Oatman's, though some of it may be disputed. If you are interested in the capture of white's by the Indians then I would recommend this book, it gives a pretty good historical account of the Oatman tragedy straight from the surviving Oatman's themselves.