We'wha

We'wha
We'wha, a Zuni lhamana, circa 1886
Born	c. 1849
Died	1896 (aged 46–47)

We'wha (c. 1849–1896, various spellings) was a Zuni Native American lhamana from New Mexico, and a notable weaver and potter.^[1] As the most famous lhamana on record, We'wha served as a cultural ambassador for Native Americans in general, and the Zuni in particular, serving as a contact point and educator for many European-American settlers, teachers, soldiers, missionaries, and anthropologists.^[2] We'wha's adopted family was one of the richest and most influential in Zuni culture, placing We'wha in a privileged position to assert their ceremonial importance as a lhamana.^[3] In 1886, We'wha was part of the Zuni delegation to Washington, D.C.; during that visit, We'wha met President Grover Cleveland.^[4]

In traditional Zuni culture, the lhamana are male-bodied people who take on the social and ceremonial roles usually performed by women in their culture, at least some of the time. Markedly, We'wha still participated in male Zuni social roles. For instance, We'wha belonged to the male kachina society, a group who performed ritual dances in ceremonial masks. lhamana wear a mixture of women's and men's clothing. Some contemporary lhamana participate in the modern, pan-Indian two-spirit community.^[1]

We'wha's friendship with anthropologist Matilda Coxe Stevenson would lead to much material on the Zuni being published. Stevenson wrote down her observations of We'wha, using both male and female pronouns at different points in time, writing, "She performs masculine religious and judicial functions at the same time that she performs feminine duties, tending to laundry and the garden".^[5] "He was the most intelligent person in the pueblo. Strong character made his word law among both men and women with whom he associated. Though his wrath was dreaded by men as well as women, he was loved by all children, to whom he was ever kind."^[6] We'wha lived for part of his life in the role and dress usually associated with men in Zuni culture, and part of her life in roles associated with women, then again in roles and dress associated with men. Friends and relatives have used both male and female pronouns for We'wha, depending on stage of life and current occupation.^[5][6]