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Notes on Kaúxuma Núpika and other Warrior Women

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Ktunaxa Nation Kaúxuma Núpika (also known as Qánqon Kámek Klaúla) is an extraordinary figure from the history of the Ktunaxa Nation, being the subject of Schaeffer's (1965) "The Kutenai Female Berdache: Courier, Guide, Prophetess, and Warrior".  Living during the early 19th Century, Kaúxuma Núpika was an apparently normal girl, albeit large in stature. However, she quickly became dissatisfied with her marriage to a White man, and thereafter claimed he had transformed her into a man. From that moment on, Kaúxuma Núpika lived as a man, having a series of several wives, becoming a Prophetess and Warrior. Although Kaúxuma Núpika's life history differs from the classic childhood onset trajectory, there are similarities between this case and the South African gangster Gertie "Johnny" Williams (Chetty, 2013a) (Chetty, 2013b). The following are excerpts from Schaeffer (1965): "Turning next to the subject of abnormal sexual behavior among women in the Northern P...
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Notes on Culture Element Distributions

 The Culture Element Distributions  series can be viewed online for free through UC Berkeley Library digital collections. Klimek, S., & Kroeber, A. L. (1935).  Culture Element Distributions: I: The Structure of California Indian Culture. Anthropological Records 37 (1):1-70. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.  https://digicoll.lib.berkeley.edu/record/82933?ln=en&v=pdf *Gifford, E. W., & Klimek, S. (1936). Culture element distributions: II: Yana.  Anthropological Records 37 (2):71-100. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.  https://digicoll.lib.berkeley.edu/record/82937?ln=en&v=pdf Kroeber, A. L., & Kroeber, A. L. (1936). Culture Element Distributions: III. Area and Climax.  Anthropological Records 37 (3):101-115. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.  https://digicoll.lib.berkeley.edu/record/82935?ln=en&v=pdf *Gifford, E. W., & Kroeber, A. L. (1937).  Culture Element Distribution...
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Was Lozen a Lesbian?

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Image that many sources, including Roscoe (1998), claim contains Lozen. The identity of the woman in this photograph is disputed by some . See Moore (2001) for an analysis.  Citing Opler (1941:415-16), Roscoe (1998) claims that "Lozen was a female berdache" who "had sexual relations" with Dahteste:  An interesting case is that of the Chiricahua Apache "Woman Warrior" named Lozen, or Little Sister. The sister (or cousin) of Victorio, the famous Warm Springs chief, she received the power to heal wounds and locate the enemy as a result of a vision quest undertaken when she was a young woman. This made her invaluable on raiding and war panies. Her skills in riding, fighting, roping, and stealing horses and her bravery were legendary. Victorio reponedly said, "Lozen is as my right hand. Strong as a man, braver than most, and cunning in strategy, Lozen is a shield to her people."l04  When Victorio died in battle in 1880, Lozen joined Geronimo...
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Notes on the Hwame, Warrhameh, Kwiraxame, & Kwe'rhame

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Male and female homosexuality was reported among the Mohave and certain nearby tribes, namely the Cocopa, Maricopa, Quechan (Yuma). A mythological figure called "Warharmi" is also described in the folk lore of the Kamia. Additionally, Drucker's (1941:163) informants affirmed the presence of "Female berdaches" among the Papago, but I was unable to confirm whether they were homosexual. It is possible that other nearby tribes had similar terminology, but I was unable to locate a record of these. As the data below confirms, these terms did not refer to all homosexual attraction or behavior. These were institutionalized roles for homosexuals with the classic  childhood onset presentation, producing male-bodied "wives" and female-bodied "husbands". The alyha  were passive (anal sex role bottoms) while the hwame  were active ("tops" or " kings ") during sex. Similar to Thomas's (1997) description of the Din é  (Navajo) gender...
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