163. The Tattooed Girl: From Mormon to Native American

This podcast episode discusses the life of Olive Oatman, a young woman whose family was massacred by the Yavapai tribe in 1851. Olive and her sister were taken captive, eventually sold to the Mojave tribe, where they were surprisingly well-treated and assimilated. After years with the Mojave, Olive was "redeemed" and returned to white society, becoming a media sensation whose story was later distorted by a Methodist preacher to fit prevailing racist narratives. The episode highlights the complexities of cultural exchange and the dangers of biased historical accounts, using Olive's experience as a case study.