Source: (2005) In Wanda D. McCaslin, ed., Justice as Healing: Indigenous Ways. Writings on Community Peacemaking and Restorative Justice from the Native Law Centre. St. Paul, MN: Living Justice Press. Pp. 87-92.
“Speaking the truth about where we are raises the call for healing. In response to this truth-telling, Indigenous people turn to the fabrics of our lives for help; namely, to our relationships with our families and communities as well as with the Creator and the natural and spirit worlds. This second phase of the healing process encourages not just ‘offenders’ but all those affected to become more mindful of how profoundly connected we are. Among Aboriginal Peoples, our relatives–from the closest to the most extended–are our life’s blood. Without them, our lives are not properly balanced, and it is easy to fall into unbalanced ways. As Chief Justice Yazzie says, acting as if we have no relatives is how hurtful behavior arises. The Indigenous response is not to sever our ties even more by sending people off to prison but to rebuild the bonds that hold us on a good path.” (excerpt)
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