Warrior Woman  by Peter Aleshire.  St. Martin’s Press: 0-312-24408-8

In the introduction of his work, Aleshire begins boldly “The stories of Geronimo, Crazy Horse, and Custer pale beside the tale of another warrior -  one who fought relentlessly, successfully, and against all odds almost continuously for forty years.  This warrior fought longer then Geronimo or Crazy Horse and more effectively than Custer.   History suggest this warrior wielded supernatural powers, evaded successfully a full one-quarter of the United States Army, and displayed an epic personal courage and heroism.  But you’ve probably never heard of her.”  And it is no more than the truth, for who has ever heard of Lozen?  This great warrior of the Apache is never mentioned in the White accounts of the Indian wars of the Southwest, and Aleshire believes that this was done by her own people.  Not because they were ashamed of her, but because they wanted to protect her from the attention of the Whites who they had learned not to trust.  

Lozen would appear to be the sister of Victorio, she was known to be among Nana’s band after her brother’s death, and she was listed as one of Geronimo’s band at his surrender.  This means that she had fought for more than thirty years.  Among her own people she had renown for her supernatural abilities; she was able to tell what direction the enemy was coming from, how close they were, and how numerous.  She was also known for her ability to steal horses, one of the most treasured warrior skills among the Apache.  Lozen was also a healer and midwife. 

 No one can say why she chose the rather unnatural path of the warrior.  Apache women are traditionally very powerful.  A man moved into the woman’s band when she accepted his advances, creating the alliances between bands that the Whites of the time did not understand, mostly through ignorance and lack of effort.  She had the right to divorce him at anytime - without question, but the women were expected to remain faithful and supportive.  Their council was sought after, and they were widely respected.  But Apache women did not become warriors, they did not need to in order to be powerful.    

Lozen, however, made the decision to become a warrior from an early age.  Aleshire attributes this to her supernatural powers, which is certainly the strongest explanation.  Since Lozen herself, and all of her compatriots, were illiterate there is no way of knowing the details of her remarkable life.  This is one of the most tragic losses to history.  Aleshire acknowledges this from the introduction, and gives a detailed explanation of his almost unique way of approaching this problem.  (he acknowledged his debt to Sandoz’s Crazy Horse for the origin of several of the decisions he made.)  He utilizes anthropological works, army lists, personal reminisces both from U.S. army men and the stories told by the captured Apache leaders, and the oral histories gathered from the people who were children as Lozen’s life came to an end.  His telling of her story is humanistic and sympathetic.  He also gives his readers a very complete picture of the traditions and beliefs of the Apache, and puts Lozen into these traditions with great skill.      

The life of this great warrior woman, famed for power, wise counsel, horse stealing, and being a crack shot, is too little known.   If you can bear the constant misunderstandings between the Whites, the Mexicans, and the Apache and the tragedy that results when three such different traditions and cultures collide, Warrior Woman: the Story of Lozen; Apache Warrior and Shaman is well worth your time.

Leigh Michaels