'I practised to be a better man:' Meet a modern-day warrior
Leonard Saddleback is channeling his energy into helping people in his community
Leonard Saddleback wants to live as a warrior, and for him, helping his community is a part of that.
"When you go out and you hear people [at] parties, and they're slapping their chests and they're calling themselves warriors, I find that offensive," said Saddleback in an interview with CBC.
"When you say you're a warrior and next you're trying to fight your own brothers, you're robbing people and you're fighting people ... you don't even got a job and you call yourself a warrior. To me that is not a warrior."
Up until recently, Saddleback was a member of the Crazy Indians Brotherhood, something he saw as a modern-day take on a traditional warrior society.
He and several other members of the Brotherhood are now leaving in order to pursue a more traditional type of association that isn't associated with the imagery of a gang — symbols such as vests, jackets and patches.
But their warrior mentality is still a part of their new project.
"What I was taught from my elders, the true definition of a warrior is a person who follows their buffalo, that's a warrior. [To] modern day warriors, our buffalo is our job."
He describes the way he grew up as "rough" but when two of his brothers went to jail, it was a wake-up call.
"They were like, 'Len, it's up to you bro. You gotta be our rock.' So I did. I did that and I practiced to be a better man, to be a better role model."
Saddleback said he is a traditional man, who attends sun dances and ceremonies.
He is also a practical man who plans to study business and wants to eventually open his own restaurant. In the mean time, he's proud to provide for his family.
"I bartend for a living. There's nothing wrong with that because I make good money. I'm putting clothes on my kids backs, I got a roof over their heads and myself, I'm feeding them."
Saskatoon Morning has profiled several men who are trying to make a difference in their community by helping others, and also tapping into their aboriginal heritage.
- 'It's kind of like redemption,' Crazy Indians Brotherhood chapter forms in Saskatoon
- Crazy Indians Brotherhood helps one man leave life of crime
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