Peacemaking is a traditional Native American approach to justice. While the exact form peacemaking takes varies among tribes, it usually consists of one or more peacemakers—often community elders—who gently guide a conversation involving not only those directly involved in an offense or conflict but family members, friends, and the larger community. Most forms of peacemaking follow a few simple rules. Among them, according to Barry Stuart, the retired chief judge of the Yukon Territorial Court, are “don’t dump and run”—in other words, participants must stay until the end and listen respectfully to all speakers. Other rules include “speak the truth” and “no shaming or blaming,” Stuart said.
Peacemaking is a traditional Native American approach to justice. While the exact form peacemaking takes varies among tribes, it usually consists of one or more peacemakers—often community elders—who gently guide a conversation involving not only those directly involved in an offense or conflict but family members, friends, and the larger community. Most forms of peacemaking follow a few simple rules. Among them, according to Barry Stuart, the retired chief judge of the Yukon Territorial Court, are “don’t dump and run”—in other words, participants must stay until the end and listen respectfully to all speakers. Other rules include “speak the truth” and “no shaming or blaming,” Stuart said.
The Peacemaking Roundtable brought participants from both tribal and state justice systems to Arizona for a daylong
Roundtable Participants
Lauren B. Abramson
Executive Director
Community Conferencing Center
Johns Hopkins Medical Institute
Justin A. Barry
Chief Clerk
New York City Criminal Court
New York State Unified Court System
Alex M. Calabrese
Presiding Judge
Red Hook Community Justice Center
New York State Unified Court System
Raymond Deal
Peacemaker Liaison
Shiprock District Court
Navajo Nation
Anna Jack
Peacemaker Administrator
Colville Tribes
Michael A. Jackson
Keeper of the Circle, Village of Kake
Magistrate, Alaska District Court
Julie Marthaler
Circle Coordinator
Southwest Health and Human Services, Minnesota
Stanley L. Nez
Peacemaker Liaison
Aneth Judicial District
Navajo Nation
Michael D. Petoskey
Chief Judge
Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians
David D. Raasch
Associate Judge
Stockbridge-Munsee Tribal Court
Barbara A. Smith
Supreme Court Justice
Chickasaw Nation
Barry Stuart
Chief Judge (retired)
Yukon Territorial Court, Canada