What is a warrior?
What is a warrior?
It might seem awkward to think of yourself as a warrior. Maybe you never served in the military. And who is the Wolf Clan at war with? Who do we anticipate we might be at war with? Does the Overhill Nation expect to be at war?
Maybe you haven't actually voiced these questions, but they've been at the back of your mind, and you wonder "so what's this warrior stuff?"
I think the confusion lies with the English settler's early perception of the warrior's role. One of the roles that able-bodied native men filled when necessary was going to war. Therefore, they must be warriors - right? Unfortunately, this designation obscured the roles these men filled most of the time - hunting, clearing the fields, building homes, assisting the weak and elderly, teaching the young, protecting others from animal attacks, etc.
A better description of the role the warriors filled would be "Protectors" or "Servants" of the village, clan, or tribe. If you think about the able-bodied men (and occasionally women) being protectors or servants, it's easy to understand what being a warrior was all about.
The Indians lived close to nature. But even so, they chose to live in comfort and security when they could. But to make it possible for their people to have that comfort and security, the warriors had to be able to do a lot of the "dirty work". The warrior was able to spend days at a time in the wilderness pursuing game or enemies. He was at home in the world Creator made.
Complex civilizations differentiate between their various protectors. They have Armies, Navies, Air Forces, police forces, and fire departments. Native American societies did not make such a distinction. The warriors served and protected everyone else.
So don't feel self-conscious if you weren't in the military or weren't a police officer or firefighter or whatever. You can hold your head up as a warrior if you serve the clan whenever and however you can.
