Lozen

Lozen, born around 1840 and died in 1889, was a Chihenne (Warm Springs) Chiricahua Apache warrior, shaman, and prophet, renowned for her courage, strategic brilliance, and spiritual gifts. As the sister of Chief Victorio, she played a pivotal role in the Chiricahua Apache’s resistance against Mexican and American encroachment in their homeland, which spanned southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northern Mexico. Known as the “Apache Joan of Arc” for her bravery and spiritual leadership, Lozen defied traditional gender roles, excelling as a warrior, horse thief, and medicine woman. Her life, centered in regions like the Chiricahua Mountains, Dragoon Mountains, and areas near the Willcox Playa, is documented through Apache oral traditions, historical records, and ethnographies. Below is a detailed account of Lozen’s life, her roles, key events, and legacy, emphasizing her contributions to the Chiricahua’s fight for autonomy.

 

Early Life and Background (c. 1840–1860s) - **Birth and Family**: Lozen was born around 1840 near Ojo Caliente (Spanish for “Hot Spring”) in present-day southwestern New Mexico, within the Chihenne band of the Chiricahua Apache, also known as the Warm Springs or Mimbres Apaches. Her brother, Victorio (Bi-duyé), born around 1825, became a prominent chief. Their father was likely a respected headman, and their family was influential within the band. The Chihenne lived in the rugged terrain of the Black Range and Gila River areas, with access to the Chiricahua Mountains and Sulphur Springs Valley near the Willcox Playa. Lozen’s birth name is unknown, as Apaches often used titles or nicknames publicly to preserve spiritual power; “Lozen” means “dexterous horse thief” in Apache, reflecting her raiding skills. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lozen  https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/lozen-intelligent-and-brave-apache-warrior-women-005889  **Cultural Upbringing**: Raised in a matrilineal society, Lozen grew up in a semi-nomadic band, moving between mountain strongholds and valleys for hunting, gathering, and raiding. Chiricahua gender roles were strict: men were warriors and hunters, while women managed households, gathered food, and ensured camp safety during attacks. From age seven, Lozen excelled at horseback riding, outpacing many men, and showed interest in warrior skills rather than traditional women’s tasks. Her brother Victorio tutored her in archery, war clubs, spears, and rifles, fostering her martial abilities. https://wams.nyhistory.org/industry-and-empire/expansion-and-empire/lozen/  https://www.legendsofamerica.com/lozen-apache-war-woman/  **Spiritual Calling**: During her puberty ceremony (Na’ííʼéés) around age 12, Lozen received a spiritual gift from Ussen, the Apache Creator, enabling her to sense enemy locations. According to legend, she would stand alone, arms outstretched, praying to Ussen while turning in a circle until her palms tingled or darkened, indicating the enemy’s direction and distance. This power, described by Apache informants like James Kaywaykla (Lozen’s nephew), made her a revered prophet and strategist. She also trained as a medicine woman, mastering the medicinal properties of plants and minerals, which complemented her warrior role. https://www.history.com/articles/lozen-apache-woman-warrior  https://www.legendsofamerica.com/lozen-apache-war-woman/  https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/lozen-intelligent-and-brave-apache-warrior-women-005889  **Traumatic Experience**: As a child, Lozen witnessed a Mexican ambush near Janos, Chihuahua, where soldiers lured her band with promised gifts, then attacked, killing many Apaches. She and Victorio escaped, but the trauma shaped her lifelong hatred of Mexican forces, similar to Geronimo’s response to the 1851 Santa Rita massacre. This event, recounted in oral histories, reinforced her commitment to resistance. https://wams.nyhistory.org/industry-and-empire/expansion-and-empire/lozen 

 

Rise to Warrior Status (1860s–1870s) - **Defying Gender Norms**: Unlike most Apache women, Lozen rejected marriage and traditional roles, choosing the path of a dikohe (warrior in training). By her late teens, she was accepted by the council as a warrior, a rare honor for an unmarried woman. Her skills in riding, shooting, roping, and horse stealing rivaled those of male warriors. Victorio described her as his “right hand, strong as a man, braver than most, and cunning in strategy,” calling her “a shield to her people.” She participated in war dances, councils, and raids, dressing as a warrior and earning the title “Warrior Woman.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lozen  https://www.nmhistoricwomen.org/new-mexico-historic-women/little-sister-lozen/  https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/lozen  **Raiding and Warfare**: In the 1860s, Lozen joined Victorio in raids against Mexican settlements in Sonora and Chihuahua, targeting livestock and goods to sustain the Chihenne. The Chiricahua Mountains and nearby Willcox Playa were strategic bases, with the playa’s open terrain ideal for scouting and the mountains providing defensive refuges. Her horse-stealing prowess earned her the name Lozen, as she could infiltrate enemy lines undetected, a skill vital during conflicts with Mexican scalp hunters, who offered bounties for Apache scalps (e.g., 100 pesos for a male scalp in 1835). https://www.history.com/articles/lozen-apache-woman-warrior  https://newmexiconomad.com/apache-warrior-women-gouyen-lozen-dahteste/  **Early U.S. Contact**: After the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ceded Apache lands to the United States, Lozen’s band faced American miners and settlers following the California Gold Rush. She likely participated in the 1862 Battle of Apache Pass in the Chiricahua Mountains, alongside Cochise and Victorio, where Apaches ambushed U.S. troops but were repelled by howitzers. Her spiritual powers guided raid strategies, helping avoid capture. https://www.history.com/articles/lozen-apache-woman-warrior 

 

Victorio’s War and Leadership (1877–1880) - **San Carlos Reservation**: In the early 1870s, the U.S. government moved the Chihenne from their Ojo Caliente homeland to Tularosa, New Mexico, then to the San Carlos Reservation in Arizona in 1877, known as “Hell’s Forty Acres” for its harsh conditions. Victorio, Lozen, and over 300 Apaches fled San Carlos in 1877, rejecting confinement and seeking to reclaim Ojo Caliente. Lozen’s ability to locate enemies was critical during this period, known as Victorio’s War (1878–1880), as the band raided across New Mexico, Arizona, and Mexico, evading U.S. and Mexican forces. https://wams.nyhistory.org/industry-and-empire/expansion-and-empire/lozen/  https://www.beyouteous.com/blogs/random-musings/chihenne-chiricahua-apache-lozen-a-shield-to-her-people  https://www.nmhistoricwomen.org/new-mexico-historic-women/little-sister-lozen/  **Key Actions**: Lozen fought alongside Victorio, using her strategic skills and spiritual powers to guide raids. In 1879, she helped lead an attack on U.S. soldiers near Ojo Caliente, exploiting her knowledge of the Black Range. Her bravery was noted by James Kaywaykla, who recalled her leading women and children across the turbulent Rio Grande during a cavalry pursuit, then returning to fight with the warriors. In 1880, during a perilous mission, Lozen escorted a new mother and her newborn across the Chihuahuan Desert from Mexico to the Mescalero Apache Reservation. Armed with only a rifle, knife, and three days’ food, she killed a longhorn with her knife to avoid detection, stole horses, and evaded Mexican and U.S. forces, delivering her charges safely. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lozen  https://www.legendsofamerica.com/lozen-apache-war-woman/  https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lozen_%28Apache%29  **Tres Castillos Ambush (1880)**: In October 1880, Mexican and Tarahumara forces under Colonel Joaquín Terrazas ambushed Victorio’s band at Tres Castillos, Chihuahua, killing Victorio and most of his followers. Lozen, absent on her escort mission, narrowly escaped. Some Apaches believed her presence could have prevented the disaster due to her enemy-sensing ability. Devastated, Lozen rode alone through the desert to join Nana, an elderly Chihenne leader, in Mexico, eager to avenge Victorio. https://www.nmhistoricwomen.org/new-mexico-historic-women/little-sister-lozen/  https://pueblosoriginarios.com/biografias/lozen.html  

 

Alliance with Geronimo (1881–1886) - **Joining Geronimo**: After Victorio’s death, Lozen allied with Nana and later Geronimo, a Bedonkohe Chiricahua leader, in the final campaign of the Apache Wars. Operating from the Chiricahua Mountains, Dragoon Mountains, and Sierra Madre, she used the Willcox Playa for reconnaissance. Her spiritual powers guided Geronimo’s band of 140 followers, including Naiche (Cochise’s son), as they evaded 5,000 U.S. troops and 3,000 Mexican soldiers. She fought in raids across Arizona and New Mexico, often alongside Dahteste, a Chokonen Chiricahua woman warrior and her close companion. https://wams.nyhistory.org/industry-and-empire/expansion-and-empire/lozen/  https://www.legendsofamerica.com/lozen-apache-war-woman/  https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lozen_%28Apache%29  **Notable Feats**: In 1883, Lozen retrieved ammunition from a mule under Mexican fire, demonstrating her courage. She participated in war dances and councils, her strategic input shaping Geronimo’s campaigns. Her ritual for locating enemies, described by Alexander B. Adams, involved chanting to Ussen while turning with outstretched arms, a practice that saved her band from ambushes. In 1885, after rumors of imprisonment at Alcatraz, Lozen joined Geronimo’s breakout from San Carlos, continuing the fight. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lozen  https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/lozen  - **Peace Negotiations**: In 1883 and 1886, Lozen and Dahteste negotiated peace with General George Crook, proposing a two-year imprisonment for Apache leaders followed by freedom. The U.S. rejected these terms, and after a near-surrender in March 1886, Geronimo and Lozen fled. Their persistence reflected their resolve to rejoin their kin, but the U.S. rounded up most Chiricahua for relocation to Florida. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lozen  https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/lozen 

 

Surrender and Imprisonment (1886–1889) - **Final Surrender**: In September 1886, Lozen, Dahteste, and Geronimo’s band of 38 surrendered to Lieutenant Charles Gatewood at Skeleton Canyon, Arizona, near the Chiricahua Mountains. Exhausted and homesick, they agreed to exile rather than death. Five days later, they were sent by train to Fort Marion, Florida, as prisoners of war, along with over 400 Chiricahua, including non-combatants. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lozen  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiricahua  - **Imprisonment**: The Chiricahua faced harsh conditions at Fort Marion, then Mount Vernon Barracks, Alabama, where Lozen was transferred. Like many Apaches, she contracted tuberculosis in the damp, unsanitary environment. She died on June 17, 1889, at approximately 50 years old, and was buried in an unmarked grave at Mount Vernon, per Apache tradition of concealing burial sites. Her close relationship with Dahteste, noted in Apache accounts and a photograph from 1886, suggests they were constant companions, possibly with a deeper bond, though Apache sources avoid explicit details. https://wams.nyhistory.org/industry-and-empire/expansion-and-empire/lozen/  https://www.beyouteous.com/blogs/random-musings/chihenne-chiricahua-apache-lozen-a-shield-to-her-people  https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/lozen 

 

Legacy and Cultural Significance - **Apache Heroine**: Lozen is revered among Chiricahua descendants, particularly in the Fort Sill Apache Tribe (Oklahoma) and Mescalero Apache Tribe (New Mexico), as a symbol of courage, spiritual power, and resistance. Her nephew James Kaywaykla and others, in interviews with Eve Ball, described her as a “magnificent woman” and “shield to her people.” Her story, preserved in oral histories, highlights Apache women’s strength. https://newmexiconomad.com/apache-warrior-women-gouyen-lozen-dahteste/  https://www.legendsofamerica.com/lozen-apache-war-woman/  **Cultural Impact**: Lozen’s defiance of gender norms, choosing warrior status over marriage, challenged Apache traditions while earning her a unique place in councils and battles. Her spiritual gift and medical knowledge made her a multifaceted leader. She inspired other women warriors, like Dahteste and Gouyen, and her legacy endures in Apache storytelling and ceremonies. - **Historical Recognition**: Known as the “Apache Joan of Arc,” Lozen’s story gained wider attention through late-20th-century works by Eve Ball (*In the Days of Victorio*) and Peter Aleshire (*Warrior Woman*). Her absence from mainstream history reflects Apache reluctance to discuss an unmarried woman warrior, as noted by Eve Ball, but recent scholarship and media, including novels like *The Hebrew Kid and the Apache Maiden*, have elevated her profile. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lozen  https://www.nmhistoricwomen.org/new-mexico-historic-women/little-sister-lozen/   https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/lozen  - **Modern Tributes**: The Mescalero Apache Reservation honors Lozen as a cultural icon, and her story is taught in tribal programs. The Chiricahua Mountains, where she fought, remain sacred to her memory, and sites like the Willcox Playa evoke her strategic legacy. Posts on X reflect ongoing admiration, calling her the “strongest Native American female warrior.”

 

Challenges in Documentation - **Sparse Records**: Lozen’s history relies on Apache oral traditions, recorded by Eve Ball in the 1940s–1950s through interviews with informants like James Kaywaykla and Dahteste, and limited U.S. military records. Her anonymity until the late 20th century stems from Apache cultural norms against discussing unmarried women warriors.[](https://www.nmhistoricwomen.org/new-mexico-historic-women/little-sister-lozen/) - **Bias and Mythologization**: American accounts often romanticize Lozen as a mystic or exaggerate her exploits, while Apache narratives emphasize her practical and spiritual roles. Her spiritual powers, though legendary, are debated by scholars, with some viewing them as symbolic of her strategic acumen. **Cultural Sensitivity**: Apache reluctance to share sacred details, like Lozen’s birth name or burial site, limits documentation but reflects their value of preserving spiritual power. Her possible “two-spirit” status, suggested by her companionship with Dahteste, remains speculative due to cultural taboos. https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/lozen 

 

Summary Lozen (c. 1840–1889), a Chihenne Chiricahua warrior, shaman, and prophet, was born near Ojo Caliente, New Mexico, and became Victorio’s “right hand” in resisting Mexican and American forces. Her spiritual ability to locate enemies, honed during her puberty ceremony, guided raids from the Chiricahua Mountains and Willcox Playa. She fought in Victorio’s War (1878–1880), survived the 1880 Tres Castillos ambush, and joined Geronimo’s campaign until surrendering in 1886. Imprisoned at Mount Vernon Barracks, Alabama, she died of tuberculosis in 1889. Lozen’s legacy as a fearless “Warrior Woman” endures in Apache oral histories and modern scholarship. For further details, see Eve Ball’s *In the Days of Victorio* or the Fort Sill Apache Tribe’s records (fortsillapache-nsn.gov).

 

More info on Lozen:

https://www.legendsofamerica.com/lozen-apache-war-woman/ 

https://www.nmhistoricwomen.org/new-mexico-historic-women/little-sister-lozen/