Editorial: Indigenous Youth as the New Warriors

Abstract

The inspiration for this theme edition, Indigenous Youth as the New Warriors,emerges from the work of Kanien'Kehaka (Mohawk) scholar Taiaiake Al­fred. In his thought-provoking book, Wasdse: Indigenous Pathways of Actionand Freedom (2005), he challenges Indigenous peoples to take the "new war­rior's path, a journey of making meaningful change in our lives and to transforming society by recreating our existences, regenerating our cultures and surging against the forces that keep us bound to our colonial past" (p. 19). Disrupting colonial myths associated with the warrior as one who is violent, militaristic, and male gendered, Alfred puts forth a contemporary and culturally rooted expression of the "new warrior." The "new warrior" is one who is deeply committed to the regeneration of Indigenous peoples' integrity by reconnecting to their sources of strength that include their lands, spirituality, cultures and languages, and each other. Drawing on this metaphor of the "new warrior" in this theme issue, we wanted to highlight the ways in which Indigenous youth demonstrate the ethos of the "new warrior" as they respond to challenges, seize opportunities, and facilitate positive change in their families, schools, communities, and Nations.