@nightmare348
Man, imagine surviving for 18 years totally alone then getting sniped by dysentery less than two months after being found.
@fancyf33t295
I'm haunting EVERYBODY if i survived in isolation for 18 years only to die once i got to civilization
@Courier-Six
Island of the Blue Dolphin for the win. Grew up reading it as a Californian. Juana Maria's story is legendary
@morisumxd3396
This woman is remarkable, 18 years running and still able to craft woven baskets and useful tools, Quite a fascinating lady. Awesome story.
@aaronisaac4168
Returning home is misleading in the title, as a native to the island going to the mainland is only leaving home
@edwardtdm123
This story was heartbreaking and inspiring all at once—Juana María's resilience is beyond words. 🏝️
@ht3261
I'm so sad she only lived 7 WEEKS after finally getting off the island she was totally alone on for so long. I REALLY hope she was truly happy in her final month on the island with the company she had, and I hope she was truly happy with her final 7 weeks she spent making new friends, meeting new people, seeing new things and trying new things. ❤
@WittyWhy
Juana María’s story is both inspiring and tragic—a final link to a lost culture erased by colonization. She survived 18 years alone, yet modern life claimed her in weeks. A powerful reminder: adapting to nature is hard, but reentering civilization can be even harder.
@JoyNova13
This story actually served as inspiration for Scott O'Dell's famous novel "Island of the Blue Dolphins". I actually read that book in elementary school, and it's really interesting. I highly recommend checking it out if you enjoyed watching Juana Maria's story.
@mikelopez9071
She sounds like a beautiful soul
@awoodward37
Alone for so long and she outlived the others of her people that were "rescued".
@elsakristina2689
Who else remembers reading the book in fourth grade? But she actually wasn't the last one. There were some first and second generation Nicoleño surviving and living in IIRC the Los Angeles area up until about eight or so years after Juana Maria passed away. They themselves couldn't be located in time to meet her, but there actually were some people found who spoke languages related closely enough to hers that they could understand at least some of what she was saying. She told them that she had had a young son and she and he either couldn't leave or didn't want to leave when everyone else was taken away and so she raised him alone for the next eighteen years, but one day as a young man he disappeared while he was out in a canoe and it's believed that a shark got him. Juana Maria was found sometime not long after that and even though she couldn't have known it would be her doom she decided to leave the island because she just didn't want to be there without her son and she wanted to be with people again and she was so lonely she didn't care who those people might be.
@Melissa0774
This isn't even the only time this has happened, either. There was another woman named Agathia, I think, who lived in an isolated village in Siberia, who'd been there alone for decades after her immediate family died. Her immediate family were the only humans she'd ever seen in her life. Her father had fled with his family up there to escape WW2 and she was born there. She wasn't discovered until the 1970's.
@michaelsnowden325
This is one of the most amazing stories I’ve ever heard and the main reason I love y’all’s channel. This is the kinda content I LOVE to see. I’m in shock she was so happy to see people after 18 years, WOW!!!!!
@michaelramsey7919
4:37 "Better Than Nothing"... I'm not riding that boat! 😂
@samgao
The grave is not unmarked. It’s right there in the cemetery in mission Santa Barbara. Her headstone has a ton of info. And in the gift shop, you can buy the book “island of the blue dolphins” which talks about her story. I had to read it in elementary school, 4th grade I think. It was required.
@doubledouble4g379
Nearly 2 decades with no people and no social media? Where do I sign up?
@LauranCHB
Book: Island of the Blue Dolphins
@ShadowFlame500
Quite the bittersweet story. Sad for her people but at least happy she was no longer alone at the end.
@TheInfographicsShow