Restorative Practices

Restorative Justice or “Circles” are based on indigenous practices and philosophy. In the 1990’s members of The Hollow Water First Nations and Carcross-Tagish and Dahka T’lingit First Nations in Canada began teaching the Circle practice to non-Native people. They chose to do this because First Nation communities were seeking alternatives to the mass incarceration of their people, which was- and remains- another form of genocide. Returning to Native ways to resolve conflicts and harms required collaboration with non-Native people: lawyers, prosecutors, judges, as well as non-Native neighbors. In the process, non-Native people experienced the Circle process and its power to bring positive transformation for everyone involved. From these origins, the use of Circles among non-Natives has grown. 

The Circle process that many non-Native people are using today is rooted in the tradition of talking Circles that The Hollow Water First Nations and Carcross-Tagish and Dahka T’lingit First Nations in North America use and have used for millennia. In these traditions, Circles are far more than a technique; they are a way of life. Circles embody a philosophy, principles, and values that apply whether people are sitting in Circle or not. We are deeply indebted to those who have carried these traditions into modern times.

Source: The Indigenous Origins of Circles and How Non-Natives Learned About Them