Last Updated on October 5, 2013
The warrior spirit is a vastly misunderstood and misconstrued calling. As the voice of the protector, its authenticity is distorted by militarists and pacifists alike. Those who heed the call in today’s world of warped values and political illiteracy must be prepared to deal with both ignorance and ingratitude.
In the absence of functional protector societies, warriors — whether protecting cultures, environments or economies — must often find camaraderie, nurture and sustenance in virtual worlds of global communications networks. While it is less than ideal, the breakdown of modern states and the reemergence of Indigenous nations place demands on authentic warriors that is unique in the history of humankind: where tribal societies once supported and integrated warriors into the fabric of extended kinship communities, the dysfunction of modern capitalist civilizations has left humankind unprepared to deal with anything of substance in meeting our means of survival.
As authentic leadership reemerges among Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, the role of the warrior in protecting them is perhaps the most essential calling of all time. Understanding that calling is the subject of a February 2011 interview with Taiaiake Alfred, professor of Indigenous Governance at the University of Victoria, British Columbia.
Across the world right now, Indigenous peoples are facing a renewed assault on their lands, rights, and ways of life.
From extractive industries pushing deeper into ancestral territories, to governments rolling back hard-won protections,
the threat is global—and it is growing.
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