Across Native America, warrior traditions inspire incredible athletes and connect people to combat, games and glory. Warrior Spirit reveals the Native heroes who live and breathe this legacy today. These modern-day warriors are connected by a deep history and drive to fight for themselves and their communities.

This tradition of reaching down within oneself to serve has a powerful legacy in Indian Country. It is told in the proud history of warrior horsemen fighting to protect their homelands on the plains. It is in the Navajo code-talkers who transmitted secret messages in the Second World War. And it lives on across Native America, where nearly 1 in 5 serve in the American armed forces – the highest rate of any group. Warrior Spirit uncovers how this legacy is carried forward both on the battlefield, and the athletic pitch, by Native athletes who boldly defy the odds.

The connection between sports and combat lives on in the American Southwest where Pueblo communities celebrate their independence in a unique way: running. They commemorate America’s First Revolution – not the shot heard round the world in 1776 – but the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. After decades of oppression, Native leaders drew upon a deep tradition of long-distance running to coordinate a rebellion and overcome the world’s most powerful empire. And to this day, these heroic athletes are celebrated for saving the Pueblo way of life.

The Warrior Spirit also burns brightly in a young Navajo boxer. A descendant of Navajo Code talkers, she brings passion and an unbreakable spirit to the ring – landing her a half dozen championships before she turns 18. She plans to represent her community, and her nation, in the 2024 Olympics. But for now, she is primed to build on her great-grandfather’s legacy in a new way and join the US Marines.

This same connection to legacy is lived everyday by a family on the Flathead Nation Reservation in Montana, who seek to overcome tragedy by fielding a youth Indian Horse Relay Team. With deep roots in Native tradition, these teams risk life and limb in a spectacular competition of speed, skill, and courage. After a final round of practice, they head to Idaho to compete in the big leagues: the National Indian Relay Championship, where the Shoshone-Bannock tribes host teams from more than a dozen Plains Indian Horse Nations.

Across Native America there is an energy to fight and win. Warrior Spirit uncovers the passion and history behind communities and individuals that carry forward this proud legacy every day. And it explores how these heroes’ spirits both unite and protect Native America to this day.