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Indigenous resistance is a spectrum, says Sakej Ward.
He does it from a warrior’s perspective.
As a Mi’kmaw warrior from Esgenoopetitj and a veteran of the Canadian and American militaries, he shares his knowledge with Indigenous communities all over the world, helping them build successful campaigns to protect their sovereign Nationhoods and the life of their Lands and Waters.
As members of Ecology Ottawa’s EcoYouth Council, we recently had the opportunity to hear Sakej speak at the Defend the Land event at the Ottawa Public Library. We also heard wisdom from Shannon Chief from the Anishnabe Moose Committee, and from Cedar Aisipi and Gabrielle Fayant from the Assembly of Seven Generations. The discussion was about effectively campaigning for decolonization and environmental justice.
Sakej spoke about the conflict between Indigenous Peoples and colonial powers and how military strategy can be applied to non-violent resistance.
Indigenous Peoples protect and care for their Lands and Waters, he said, so their fight for land rights and self-determination is critical for the well-being of humans and the environment. When their efforts are successful, all of us get to live on a safer, healthier Earth.
But how can these results be achieved? Indigenous Peoples make up 5% of Canada’s population, so how can effective campaigns be built?
According to Sakej, what we lack in numbers can be overcome by strategy.
However, more unity and strategic leadership is needed in order to build strong networks between Indigenous communities. Currently, Sakej explained, Indigenous communities act independently of each other and respond to local issues. Sustaining this interdependence requires mutual trust and respect gained through ongoing relationship building.
Sakej urged local leaders to come together to create long-term campaigns to resist colonialism through a phased approach to planning: tactical, operational, and strategic. A collective movement would bring community voices together, strengthening efforts to reshape colonial systems, discourse, and paradigms.
Before starting peaceful acts of resistance, Sakej encouraged all activists to plan proactively with specific objectives in mind. Each phase of a plan must be critically analyzed to identify situations where trouble could arise. This is particularly important for the safety of racialized individuals and women, as pointed out by Shannon, Cedar, and Gabrielle earlier in the conversation.
Sakej recommended having multiple contingency plans for mission critical objectives, especially for emergencies. He also stressed the importance of taking care of your team. People should be trained beforehand to handle all aspects of a mission through coordinated rehearsals. Hope, he said, is not a strategy.
Colonialism reaches far and wide and suffocates so many of us. This is the common ground on which there is an opportunity to come together. Indigenous Peoples alone should not bear the responsibility of resisting colonial systems, because we all have a shared duty to create a sustainable future. To protect this future, Sakej said, allies must practice good followership - meaning that they should listen to Indigenous Peoples, ask how they can help, and give support if it is requested.
Initially, realizing the scale of these problems felt disheartening, but reflecting on Sakej’s strategic solutions and call for solidarity rekindled our beliefs that the world can change, after all.
We agree that hope may not be a strategy by itself, but it’s still an act of resistance - an infectious one - because what one may hold inside their heart can still be felt by others. And hope is what keeps us going when the days are long and our minds are tired - it is the reason why we strategize.
Dana Jordan and Kaamil Furtado are members of Ecology Ottawa’s EcoYouth Council.
Dana is a fourth year student in Environmental Studies at the University of Ottawa. She is committed to equitable climate action, and believes in the power of grassroots collectives for creating lasting and meaningful change.
Kaamil is a Grade 12 student at Glebe Collegiate Institute who supports movements for conservation, sustainability, and community building.
