Organized Village of Kake Circle Peacemaking

(video from Tribal Access to Justice Innovation)

Tribal Materials:

Keex’ Kwaan Judicial Peacemaking Code of the Tribal Court of the Organized Village of Kake
Provides authorization and place in the clan system, referral standards, procedures, juvenile matters, and a Peacemaker Appellate Court.

Kake Peacemaking Handbook. 2005.

Articles and Profiles:

The particular method of conflict resolution presented in circle sentencing seemed to resonate for the Kake residents who participated. As might be expected, in Tlingit Kake, the Tlingit Carcross presenters relied more heavily on cultural references than they did in the more general presentations offered at regional and statewide conferences.

“Circle Peacemaking.” Rieger, Lisa. (Winter 2001) Alaska Justice Forum 17(4): 1, 6-7.

By reintroducing peacemaking in Kake, the program has led to a renewed appreciation for Tlingit culture in the community.

Restoring its traditional method of dispute resolution, the Organized Village of Kake adopted Circle Peacemaking as its tribal court in 1999.

Read the profile at the University of Arizona Indigenous Governance Database website.

Circle Peacemaking heals the offender by addressing the underlying causes of the offending behavior and restores the rupture in community life by repairing the relationship between the offender and victim.

Read the full article at the Harvard Kennedy School ASH CENTER for Democratic Governance and Innovation website.