anthropologist alfred l. kroeber wrote in an article about the oatman captivity: "the mohaves always told her she could go to the white settlements when she pleased but they dared not go with her, fearing they might be punished for having kept a white woman so long among them, nor did they dare to let it be known that she was among them".[13] another thing that suggests olive and mary ann were not held in forced captivity by the mohave is that both girls were tattooed on their chins and arms,[14][15] in keeping with the tribal custom. oatman later claimed (in stratton's book and in her lectures) that she was tattooed to mark her as a slave, but this is not consistent with the mohave tradition, where such marks were given only to their own people to ensure that they would enter the land of the dead and be recognized there by their ancestors as members of the mohave tribe.[5]:78 the tribe did not care if their slaves could reach the land of the dead, however, so they did not tattoo them. it has also been suggested that the evenness of olive's facial markings may indicate her compliance with the procedure.[5]:78
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