The Art of War
Indigenous Worldview (Interview With the Elders):
Preceding European contact, when indigenous people waged war preceding European contact, it was mainly for use of hunting territories. Natural markers on the land, such as river systems, showed the boundaries and marked out the homelands. If the nations ventured beyond their own territories, they risked being attacked.
Some nations wanted to expand their hunting territories and displace neighboring tribes. There was a domino effect where one tribe put pressure on another, which then narrowed the homelands of a third tribe and placed pressure on them. Some indigenous people had special groups of warriors who banded together to form their own societies which were spiritually based and some of which still exist today.
When they were at the height of their existence, they played a very important role in the community. They provided stability, security and well-being.
Amongst the Anishnawbe tribe, there was such a warrior society referred to as the Tall Man Society. They were very distinct in that they studied the astrology of the stars, knew when to take medicines, and at what time during the 14 phases of the moon it was best to conceive a son.
This special society always chose a woman who was taller than their shoulders so that there was a greater possibility of creating a tall son who could take the father’s place in the society and carry on the traditions and knowledge. They had a very distinct code that they followed and never rode horses to war but always fought on foot. They were much feared because they were very tall men. A certain type of regalia and symbolism was incorporated by them when they went into battle.
They viewed themselves as mercenaries and made themselves available for service to other tribes. The Cree and Assiniboine would offer them guns and horses and land in exchange for support when war was waged with other tribes. Each of these societies had very distinct features about them; even their name had meaning. In general they referred to these warriors as Okitchitawak.
Okitchitawak warrior groups each had a leader and a special name. The Bird Dog Society was known as the Moostahatimaw. They had a special kind of headdress made out of crow feathers with white ermine tips. They functioned also as scouts, went ahead of the tribe, searched the land, and reported back to the leaders. Initiation into this society was done in a very distinct manner. For a person to become a member, special chairs were constructed of willows. On them were placed special designs, and only warriors sat in these as a place of honor in the lodge.
Each of these orders of societies had special songs that they sang. After celebrations with all the people at special events or ceremonial gatherings, these warrior societies would have their own special dances and perform them for everyone. The dances of the warriors themselves evolved into what we know today as the powwow. Here they would tell their stories and enact their deeds in battle. These songs and dances were seen as the warrior’s own story, some of which still exist today.
The warrior societies also had special ceremonies for themselves. Amongst the Anishnawbe, they had a very unique clan system, which was a linked clan considered as the warrior clan. They had bundles that they used for ceremonies, which were opened, and ceremonies performed. In this manner the warrior tradition continued. Such bundles still exist today and they still observe the singing of song and the sacredness of the bundles.
At a time of war back in the buffalo days, warriors would not go into battle unless they were led by one who was given a dream about it. The dream was very important in that it gave him confidence and trust in the spirits who sent him, knowing that they were being led by spiritual forces. One who had such dreams of a certain terrain or going in a certain direction in order to engage in battle, would follow a strict code and then proceed with his warriors into battle. (Young warriors who wanted to prove themselves would sneak off to steal horses from the enemy, but this was not the practice of a true warrior.)
They prepared themselves mentally, physically, and emotionally. Spirit instructions were followed as to how to paint their horses with certain designs. Certain plant medicines were used to create special energy so that the outcome would be favorable to the war party.
Back in the 1880’s, a warrior party might be composed of twenty to forty warriors; each one held within him special gifts or contributions that would be exercised and that could benefit all. For example, one might have the gift of divinity – looking into the future to foresee if the expedition was going to be successful. He might guide them into a particular direction to accomplish this.
One might be an excellent scout and do shapeshifting, which means that he could turn himself into an animal. He would scout the land, getting very close to the enemy without being seen, and remember the terrain so that he could return and report to the others. Then he would make recommendations as to how they were to proceed. He would also report back to the party about the numbers of warriors in the opposing camp and where the horses were situated.
Another warrior’s ability might be extended vision, where he could project his vision 40 – 50 feet above any place and view what the enemy was doing over the next hill. One might also be able to expertly project his vision 20 – 30 miles ahead, recognizing if they were being approached by the enemy, able to actually look into the faces of the enemy ahead of time.
Another warrior might offer the gift of working with animals. He would be able to round up horses in enemy country without getting them excited, rounding them up so that the horses would follow him out of the camp. Usually they traveled at night in coolies and out of sight. (During the day they hid themselves.) All these different gifts were utilized to ensure success. Every warrior was able to run 200 miles across the prairie without stopping, being in perfect physical condition.
Within all Indian nations of North America; those nations that had warrior societies recounted their stories of battle and there were always stories that were retold. The traditional way was usually for those who were involved in the actual account of war to recount to the others the details during gatherings. Many stories have been lost and not recorded in history. Some have been remembered and are still being told.
As an example and to illustrate their uniqueness, there were many having different supernatural elements to them. The code of many of the warrior societies was that they had to follow the dream that came to them. From time to time, warriors went out without being led and for their own reasons, but venturing out on their own was an exception.
Commentary by Almine:
A warrior made himself impervious to bullets or arrows by strengthening the energy fields around his body. This technique was used at Wounded Knee, when many of the warriors walked into bullet fire and were not harmed.
Until 2007, when great changes occurred in the human fields, all human beings had counter-rotating fields around the body known to some as the Mer-ka-ba, which could be activated to form a dense field. Techniques existed which, when practiced enough and perfected by continually rotating them on a daily basis, made the energy fields that surrounded a human being so dense that no harm could enter the body. It became a suit of armor of impenetrable light, which formed a mystical shield around one’s body. These fields were rotated: one to the right, or clockwise – that being magnetic, and one to the left, or counter clockwise – that being electrical.
They rotated at a ratio of 21/13 with the electrical one spinning faster. (The goal was to spin the faster one at 9/10ths the speed of light). When this was fully accomplished, a warrior would become impervious to bullets or anything harmful sent to him.
There is a wise message for the western world concerning the orderly way in which people, such as the warriors, were divided. This was according to each one’s specific talents, which produced a much stronger unit. Under this system of warriorship, the tribes that existed created harmony in the social structure because of the unique talents and gifts of each warrior, which were understood and honored. Each elder worked with one of these men to ensure that his talent was developed to the fullest extent. The elders could verify the validity of each warrior, confident that he possessed a special talent that could be greatly utilized.
A remarkable aspect of this type of recognition of individuality, was that no part of the actions of indigenous life was viewed as being outside the realm of spirituality. This deep, meaningful life, which still inspires us today, is the result of melding physicality and spirituality into one. It is the separation of the spiritual and physical that causes a society to decay. It creates a split or bifurcation within the individual who is able to use hypocrisy to remain “respectable” to the group, while his physical life might be at complete variance.
The opposite of this is true of our modern military system, where everyone is simply a spoke in the wheel. Their goal is to strive for a homogenizing effect, which is the reverse of indigenous warrior tribes.