The Forgotten Story of Juana Maria

The Forgotten Story of Juana Maria and the Lost People of San Nicolas Island

We’ve all said it before — “I just want to run away.” But what if it really happened? What if you were left behind, with no way back? This is the true story of Juana Maria — the woman behind Island of the Blue Dolphins — and her lost people, the Nicoleño of California’s Channel Islands. It’s a story of survival, silence, and the heartbreaking truth of colonization that we rarely hear in school.

🌊 Who Was Juana Maria?

Juana Maria wasn’t her real name. Her true name is unknown because no one who survived could speak her language. She was a Nicoleño woman — the last of her people. In 1835, when missionaries evacuated the last surviving Nicoleño from San Nicolas Island (off the coast of California), she was accidentally left behind.

Some say she ran back for her child. Others say she was simply forgotten. The ship never returned. For the next 18 years, she survived alone on the island, building shelters from whale bones, crafting tools, and living off fish, shellfish, and seabirds. Her only companion? A dog — a loyal friend who may have kept her alive not just physically, but emotionally. I wonder if it was like the dogs the Songhees kept — sacred, intelligent, loving. That bond mattered.

⛪ What Happened to the People Who Were Evacuated?

This is the part of the story that hurts even more. When the other Nicoleño were brought to Mission Santa Barbara, they were placed in the mission system — a form of cultural erasure and forced conversion. They were exposed to mainland diseases like measles, dysentery, and tuberculosis.

Within a year or two, most — possibly all — of the evacuated Nicoleño had died. The mission didn’t record much about them. There were no survivors left to speak their language. Their culture, stories, and identity were erased. This is why we don’t hear about California’s Indigenous tribes — because so many were killed, displaced, or silenced during colonization and genocide.

🛶 Juana Maria’s Rescue

In 1853, after many failed efforts, a man named George Nidever found Juana Maria on the island. She was in her 40s or 50s by then, wearing a skirt of green cormorant feathers, living in a driftwood hut. She welcomed them joyfully — singing, smiling — but she could not communicate with anyone. Her language had already vanished.

They brought her to Santa Barbara. But it was too late. She died just seven weeks later, likely of dysentery or tuberculosis — illnesses she had no immunity to after years in isolation. She was buried in an unmarked grave. Her dog — her only companion — died shortly after too.

📘 The Book: Island of the Blue Dolphins

Scott O’Dell’s famous novel brought Juana Maria’s story to a new generation. In the book, she is called Karana, and the story focuses on her strength, courage, and resilience. But it leaves out the tragic truth — the genocide, the loss, the silence. While the novel helped people learn about her, it’s our responsibility to tell the full story.

🕯️ Why We Must Remember

Juana Maria’s story — and the story of the Nicoleño — is not just history. It’s a warning. A mirror. A memory. It teaches us:

• How colonization destroyed entire peoples, cultures, and languages.
• How Indigenous women like Juana Maria survived unimaginable circumstances with dignity and strength.
• How easily stories are whitewashed, softened, or forgotten.

But remembering her is an act of justice. Every time we speak her name, we give power to the truth.

🧠 What Would We Do?

We ask ourselves now: What would we do if it were us? If we were left behind, forgotten by the world, trying to keep our spirit alive? Could we survive 18 years alone — with only a dog and our ancestors in our heart?

Juana Maria did. But her story ended in silence, disease, and a lost grave. Let that never happen again.

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Written by: Tina Winterlik aka Zipolita
Sources: Wikipedia – Juana Maria, National Park Service – Channel Islands, History.com – Lone Woman of San Nicolas

May her name and the names of the Nicoleño live on. 🐚🌊🐾