In this episode of The Green Flame podcast, we speak with Sakej Ward. Sakej (James Ward) belongs to the wolf clan. He is Mi’kmaw (Mi’kmaq Nation) from the community of Esgenoopetitj (Burnt Church First Nation, New Brunswick). He is the father of nine children, four grandchildren and a caregiver for one.
Sakej is a veteran of both the Canadian and American militaries. During his military career, he volunteered and excelled at some of the most demanding leadership courses in the military, including the Special Forces Infantry Leader’s Course. He finished his military career at the rank of Sergeant.
Wanting to pursue academics, he immediately went to university and immersed himself in politics where he graduated from the University of New Brunswick from the Honour’s program with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with a specialization in International Relations.
Recognizing the value of an academic background, he continued to advance his studies and attended the University of Victoria where he successfully completed the Master’s of Arts Degree in Indigenous Governance.
Sakej has a long history of advocating and protecting First Nations inherent responsibilities and freedoms, having spent the last 21 years fighting the government and industry. This deep desire to bring justice to all Indigenous people has given Sakej experience in international relations where he spoke on behalf of the Mi’kmaq Nation at the United Nations Working Group for Indigenous Populations (WGIP). For his efforts in protecting Indigenous people, freedoms and territory he has received the National Aboriginal Achievement Award.
Having taught, organized, advised and led various warrior societies from all over Turtle Island down into Guatemala and Borike (Puerto Rico) Sakej has made warrior-hood his way of life. He has been on over a dozen warrior operations and countless protest actions. He dedicates all his time to developing warrior teachings and instructing warrior societies from all over.
This show features poetry by the Chickasaw poet, playwright, and novelist Linda Hogan, and the song “Zabalaza” by South African political music collective Soundz of the South (SOS).
- Music video for Zabalaza: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrckzW3csmI
- Soundz of the South: https://www.facebook.com/soundzofthesouth
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The Green Flame is a Deep Green Resistance podcast offering revolutionary analysis, skill sharing, and inspiration for the movement to save the planet by any means necessary. Our hosts are Max Wilbert and Jennifer Murnan.
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I have a huge problem with media introducing guests by saying they have a bunch of kids, then moving on to discuss other things without even mentioning overpopulation and the great ecological and environmental harms that having large families cause.
Overpopulation is the biggest physical problem on the planet, and eliminating it would fix almost every environmental and ecological problem. For example, the industrial society that we all oppose could not exist without gross human overpopulation. While hyperconsumers, mainly white people, cause more harm by having large families than people who don’t consume as much cause, having more than two kids is criminal in an ecological sense, with the only exception being hunter-gatherers, because only a small minority of their children live long enough to reach breeding age.
So regardless of what or how much great work Sakej Ward has done, he has caused great harm by having nine kids. We need a global one-child-family policy for everyone except for hunter-gatherers, and we needed it a long time ago!
@Jeff
There is time you should disgust overpopulation and you are right it is one of the main problem we have but that interview was not about it so why should they throw that into the interview?
@Steve
The question is why should DGR put crap like that in an introduction? That’s something that the corporate media and other non-environmental media does, but a group like DGR should know better. If you don’t want to discuss overpopulation, don’t mention that your subject has nine kids. Once you mention that, you’ve raised the issue.
I am a Hunkpapa Lakota and Nahua from the colonial borders of “mexico”. I would like to know how I can be involved and support. It’s the most important time for true Warriors to rise as we are the 7th generation.
https://deepgreenresistance.org/join-dgr/