Lozen - Woman warrior of the Chiricahua Apache

Lozen was born into the Chihenne band of the Chiricahua Apache in the early 1800's. She was a warrior who rode and fought alongside Geronimo and her older brother Cheif Victorio in the Apache wars in the late 1800's. Very little is written of this talented and brave woman. It's speculated that her importance in battle was downplayed by her people for her own protection. It is said she could detect the movements of the enemy by raising her hands in the air which made her extremely valueable in battles. She was also a gifted midwife and healer. This photo is one of the few taken at the time of her surrender as she and her comrades were waiting to board the train to captivity in Florida.

It is said that as a child Lozen learned to ride at the age of 7 and was a gifted horsewoman. It was common for some women to accompany their husbands on hunting parties or raids but she chose the role of a warrior and actually participated in battle. She never married. Towards the end of the Apache wars she surrendered with Geronimo and the other Chiricahua and was sent to be encarcerated in Florida. Later, they were all sent to Mount Vernon in Mobile, Alabama. She died en route to Alabama of tuberculosis and was buried in an umarked grave.

Lozen's older brother Victorio is quoted as saying, "Lozen is my right hand . . . strong as a man, braver than most, and cunning in strategy, Lozen is a shield to her people." Victorio was killed in battle during a skirmish at a time when Lozen was not present and could not help him.

Life was difficult and cruel in those days especially for the Chiricahua whose way of life was dying. I wonder sometimes if it was the trying times she lived
in that stimulated this woman's incredible courage and talents? If she had been born later in current times would she have been the same woman? It is something to ponder...