Random Tragic Life Of Juana Maria, The Lone Woman Of San Nicolas Island (15 items)

(#14) Her Story Lives On In Fictional Accounts

Probably because so few facts could be gleaned from her life on San Nicolas, the woman known to history as Juana Maria has had a rich afterlife in fiction. As she captured the public's imagination in her own time, she was characterized in specific ways. More recently, her story was fictionalized in Scott O'Dell's hugely popular novel, Island of the Blue Dolphins. This celebrated novel - perhaps more than any other account of her life - has brought the mythology, legend, and story of the Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island to generations of young readers.
(#7) She Was The Last Surviving Member Of Her Tribe

Further tragedy awaited those Nicoleños who departed San Nicolas Island in 1835. The ship that took them from the island was the Peor es Nada, which translates to “better than nothing.” Though the ship ran aground in San Francisco Bay, the survivors moved to the San Gabriel Mission. Unfortunately, lack of immunity to the diseases they encountered on the mainland got the better of the Nicoleños, and they all died. By the time Juana Maria reached the mainland in 1853, she had become the last member of her tribe.
(#10) She Became A Local Curiosity And Was Dubbed "The Wild Woman"

When she finally came to Santa Barbara in 1853, the locals treated her like a curiosity, especially since no one could actually talk to her. She was dubbed the “wild woman.” Newspapers reported on how she was acclimating to life at the Santa Barbara mission, even noting that she marveled at the horses around the mission and enjoyed coffee and liquor. She even performed songs and dances for those who came to look at the “wild woman.”
(#6) When She Was Finally Found, She Had No Way Of Communicating With Anyone

Juana Maria’s solitude didn’t end as soon as she was re-discovered in 1853. When she was brought to the Santa Barbara mission, she could not communicate with anyone. She was clearly speaking a Native language, one no one could understand. So, after she had been found, she couldn’t tell anyone her harrowing — or triumphant — story. To this day, scholars do not know what exact language Juana Maria spoke.
(#11) She Was Nursed By Captain Nidever's Wife, Sinforosa

Upon her arrival in Santa Barbara, Juana Maria went to stay at the home of the man who discovered her, Captain George Nidever. There, Captain Nidever's wife, Sinforosa Sanchez Nidever, became Juana Maria's companion and nurse. However, Juana Maria's time there lasted a tragically short seven weeks; not even her nurse and friend could save her from the dysentery she would contract on the mainland.
(#2) The Remaining Tribe Members Were Removed From The Island By Catholic Priests

In 1835, Juana Maria’s entire tribe was removed from San Nicolas Island. They didn’t leave by choice: Catholic priests on the mainland specifically requested that the entire Nicoleño tribe be evacuated. The priests’ motivations remain unclear. Were they evacuating the tribe because they worried they could not sustain their livelihood on San Nicolas Island? Or, more sinisterly, did they simply want more bodies to convert? Like much of Juana Maria’s story, these questions will probably never get answers.