6.1: Warrior Societies and Indigenous Resilience: A Decolonized Approach to Preparedness with Sakej Ward

Sakej Ward , a Mi’kmaw warrior from Esgenoopetitj, Burnt Church First Nation, has dedicated his life to defending indigenous ways of life, land and peoples. In this Episode Mylan and Sakej discussed the importance of community-based approaches to crisis management, the role and function of warrior societies in indigenous communities, and the challenges of living off the land in the face of industrial society’s destruction of natural resources. They also emphasized the need for decolonizing the concept of preparedness and self-reliance from a North American indigenous perspective, and the importance of practical experience and skill development in bushcraft and survival skills. They also discussed the role of traditional and indigenous knowledge systems in modern life, and the need for a comprehensive plan that includes both shelter-in-place and bug-out strategies for disaster preparedness.