Restorative Justice System

John Houston, who grew up in the Canadian Arctic and was influenced by Inuit culture, is an artist, photographer and movie maker. He uses Social Media, such as Facebook, to get attention for Indigenous concerns. In his opinion, reconciliation is a process, by starting a dialogue people can begin to understand. On the Mawio'mi gathering he presented one of his movies which was a project from Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. This documentary should give a better understanding of Indigenous traditional systems, especially the Indigenous justice system.

The pivotal of the documentary was the fact that the “official“ justice system in Canada is rooted in principles and behaviours of European settlers, and their traditions. Since there is an increasing rate of Indigenous peoples in imprisonment, the question gets more and more urgent whether the current system is an appropriate instrument to create fair justice? Moreover, it is important to ask how the problem mentioned above can be solved?

References to Restorative Justice

Indigenous nations used to had an own justice system which was omitted over decades. The movie introduced one of its methods, the Restorative Justice Circle, a concept to deal with conflicts in a community by creating a safe space for the victim and the offender – which sometimes can be the same person – to heal their wounds and to reconcile. The idea behind this Circle is to recognize that every person is a part of the community. If someone feels disconnected or not accepted, the whole society has the responsibility to create a sense of belonging for this person again.

By including this concept in the current justice system it may help to establish awareness for a person's actions and, simultaneously, gives this person the chance to learn from former mistakes. This does not mean a loss of the seriousness of justice, but rather introduce the idea of an inclusive society where people feel connected to each other. Thus people are willing to contribute something into the community because they know it is for the common good.

The documentary presents a conflict between two people in a small community in Nova Scotia. To solve this very conflict the two people and some associated community members, including elders, come together in the Circle of Mi'kmaq. The fundamental rule is that everything mentioned stays in the circle. This builds trust and a safe space for honesty. A feather is the sign to be the one who speaks (Talking Stick). It goes around for a few rounds so every person has some opportunities to speak and present and/or challenge their perspective. This rounds are lead by some specific questions which should clarify what has happened and why. One character in the movie said the Circle means to come together like a braided plait: it is made of different strings that create an even more stronger string together. That is the potential the Circle has for a society and its members.