We’wha

We’wha (1849-1896) was a Zuni Native American from New Mexico, a weaver, a potter, a fiber artist and the most famous Ihamana on record. In traditional Zuni culture Ihamana are male-bodied people who take on the social and ceremonial roles typically performed by women. They dress in a combination of women’s and men’s clothing, work in areas occupied by Zuni women and serve as mediators to their community by performing masculine religious and judicial functions at the same time that they perform feminine duties. We’wha served as a cultural ambassador for Native Americans and as an educator for many European-American settlers, teachers, soldiers, missionaries, and anthropologists. In 1886, We’wha was part of the Zuni delegation in Washington DC where they met President Grover Cleveland.