Sahaykwisa
1850-1895
Sahaykwisa was a Mojave Indian shaman (a healer with supernatural powers), who specialized in the treatment of venereal diseases. Scholars have limited information about their life. They were a gender-nonconforming lesbian, or hwame (a female who chose to live as a male), and often told people they had been turned into a man by white man’s magic. Sahaykwisa was also a hunter and an industrious farmer—jobs typically performed by men.
They are known to have been relatively prosperous, a good provider who romanced many wives. They also courted a married woman, which was commonplace among the Mojave. While it seems most people accepted their sexuality, they were routinely questioned about their gender.
As rumors of their affairs circulated, Sahaykwisa faced frequent ridicule and humiliation for their masculine appearance. The women they married were often subject to mockery and rejection from men.
Sahaykwisa may have posed a threat to males in their tribe. They were the victim of a brutal rape by the former husband of one of their wives. After the episode, they were said to have carried on affairs with men and fallen into alcoholism and depression. They were eventually accused of being a witch and murdered. Accounts tell of their drowning in the Colorado River.
Their story has been used to examine the lives gays and lesbians in early America, most notably in Native American tribes where transgender and homosexual individuals were in some cases accepted. Although there are many accounts of gender-nonconforming indigenous people who lived openly and even happily, it seems Sahaykwisa suffered tragic consequences for living authentically.