The warrior is not someone who fights, because no one has the right to take another life. “Warriors are not what you think of as warriors. I’ve seen it shared numerous times by Natives and others on Facebook, often on Idle No More sites. You may have seen the meme: a photo of Sitting Bull staring into a camera, with a quote about what a warrior is. This tendency has increased in the last few years with the infiltration of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs, with their fetish for nonviolent activities) into Indigenous communities, as well as the Idle No More mobilization of last year, which introduced pacifist ideology on a mass scale to Native grassroots movements in Canada. In the last decade or so, I have seen a distortion of our warrior culture by some Natives that seek to portray warriors as-above all-peaceful and non-violent protagonists. Some of our greatest heroes as Native peoples are warriors who engaged in armed anti-colonial resistance, such as Pontiac, Tecumseh, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Geronimo, Cochise, etc. I believe most Natives would agree with this description of the warrior, and would acknowledge that not only were warriors a vital part of our cultures, but that they also served an important military function in defence of land and people. Ideals such as sacrifice, courage, loyalty, and honour are often associated with the warrior.

These attributes distinguish a warrior from those who fight for personal motivations, such as money or power. A warrior defends their people, territory, and way of life. Apache warriors, armed and ready to fight, with Geronimo on right.īy Zig Zag, Warrior Publications, Dec 13, 2013Ī warrior is a person who prepares for and engages in warfare or fighting, not for personal gain but in the interests of his or her community.

Secret of the peaceful warrior