We'wha

We'wha was a Zuni llhamana (Two-Spirit) potter, textile artist, and diplomat to the United States to advocate for Zuni rights, working as a liaison between Anglo and Indigenous interests. We'wha was highly venerated in their community and maintained certain ceremonial roles.

We’wha was born into the Zuni and orphaned as an infant. We’wha and their brother were adopted by a paternal aunt. Though born male-presenting, community members recognized that We’wha demonstrated traits associated with the lhamana as early as age three or four. In Zuni culture, lhamana were male-presenting individuals who took on social and ceremonial roles generally performed by women. They usually wore women’s clothing and took up labors associated with women. Lhamana constituted a socially-recognized third gender role within the tribe and often held positions of honor in the community.

During We’wha’s childhood, the Zuni lived under Navajo and Apache raids. As a result, they relied heavily on diplomacy, allying themselves with the Americans through the 1850s and 1860s for security purposes. In 1879, the U.S. government’s newly created Bureau of Ethnology sent an expedition to collect artifacts and record the customs of the Zuni people, including Anthropologist Matilda Coxe Stevenson and her husband James Stevenson. Matilda formed a deep friendship with We’wha. In late 1885, the Stevensons brought We’wha back with them to Washington, D.C. for six months to foster cultural exchange and generate interest in further anthropological research. Newspapers covered We’wha’s activities closely, reporting with great interest on the “Indian princess.” We’wha also assisted Stevenson with ethnographic research for the Smithsonian National Museum – they explained the significance of Zuni artifacts, posed for photographs to document Zuni weaving, and donated crafts to the museum’s collections. We’wha died at age 49 of heart disease. We’wha’s early death was considered a calamity among the Zuni.