REVENGE OF THE ‘WISE WOMAN’

ost Americans are familiar with the names if not the exploits of such powerful Chiricahua Apache men as Cochise, Victorio and Geronimo, who made their mark in the mid- to late 19th-century Apache wars. Far less heralded are the brave Apache women of the era. One such woman was Gouyen, born circa 1857 into the Chihenne (Red Paint) band, aka Warm Springs Apaches. Inhabiting what became southwestern New Mexico, the Chihennes and Mescalero Apaches were friends and allies, and intermarriage was common. Gouyen’s first husband was a Mescalero. His name is not known. In fact, Gouyen’s