Quotes About Oatman

The Oatman massacre was evidently inspired by the Yavapais' typical late-winter hardship, exacerbated by the previous year's bone-cracking drought.

On slow news days, newspaper editors pulled the Oatman drama out of storage and ran it as a novelty item, often in the Southwest, sometimes in multiple parts.

Tsosie alleges that the very fact that Oatman was nicknamed confirms her acceptance within the culture; if she had been marginalized within the tribe, she would never have warranted one. Along with "Aliútman," the name stuck, and Mary Ann, perhaps too young for teasing, went by her given name.