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[Dino and Coop singing]

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In some ways, the idea of hanging out on a small, remote island in the Pacific doesn't

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seem too bad! [People hanging out on a beach]

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After all, what could be better than days full of sun, surf, and sandy beaches?

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Ahhh….paradise. [Man grabs a cocktail]

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…but let's rewind.

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What if had to stay there for eighteen whole years?

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…Sure, you might get pretty good at building sandcastles, but still. [Man stood with tall sand castles]

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Sounds a little bit more like a prison than paradise…

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This situation – minus the sandcastles – is basically what happened to Juana Maria when

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she was stranded on San Nicolas Island in 1835.

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Her tribe, the Nicoleño, had lived on the island for thousands of years as hunters and [Coop teaching about the Nicoleno tribe]

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gatherers who respected the land and its inhabitants.

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Unfortunately, in the early nineteenth century a group of Native Alaskans arrived, and they

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weren't quite as respectful as the Nicoleño. [Alaskans arrive at island on a ship]

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Unless you happen to think that slaughtering seals is the height of politeness.

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Which…it's not.

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We recommend flowers and a greeting card. [Man brings flowers and greeting card to a seal]

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But these newcomers weren't just bad to the seals.

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They also killed many of the Nicoleño, and took Nicoleño women as slaves.

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With all this new danger on the island, the Nicoleño decided to leave, seeking refuge

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on the mainland.

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Because even if you get seasick pretty easily, a few hours on a boat is definitely worth [Man vomits in the sea whilst on a boat]

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getting away from people who want to kill or enslave you.

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However, in this rush to escape, Juana Maria was left behind.

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There are a few different stories to explain how this could've happened: some say that

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a storm arose, which caused the ship's crew to panic and head for the mainland to avoid [Tribe riding in a boat in a storm]

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crashing against the island…

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…while another story is that as the ship was leaving, she realized her younger brother

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had been left behind, and she jumped off to save him. [Juana Maria runs back to shore]

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But whatever the exact reason, Juana Maria was definitely left behind.

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And that's how she spent the next eighteen years of her life…and without wifi too! [Juana playing cards with a aseal]

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But help eventually came!

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After a few failed attempts, a hunter named George Nidever did manage to find her, and

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bring her to the mainland, where she was disappointed to learn there still wasn't wifi…we guess [George and Juana jump off ship onto mainland]

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it hadn't been invented yet.

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However, historical records show that she was fascinated with the new world around her,

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and was charmed by horses, European clothing, and all the plentiful food around her.

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Unfortunately, this rescue story doesn't have the happiest of endings…only seven weeks

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after reaching the mainland, Juana Maria died of dysentery. [Gravestone of Juana Maria]

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And if you're thinking to yourself, "someone should write a story about her," then think

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no further! …well, no, keep thinking…thinking is a good thing.

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What we meant is, there's already a book that's largely based on Juana Maria's life.

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If you've ever read Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O'Dell, then yup, you've read a tale [Island of the Blue Dolphins on a book shelf]

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that was inspired by Juana Maria.

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And if you haven't, go check it out!

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It might make for some good beachside reading.

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Just…try not to stay at that beach for eighteen years, okay? [Man with sun burn appears]

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We can't imagine how sunburned you'd be…

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