Peacemaking News

For several years, NARF’s Indigenous Peacemaking Initiative (IPI) has worked closely with Stanford University’s Native American Community Center to help create peacemaking educational programming at Stanford, which in turn has helped IPI build on its own educational abilities. The project has been a resounding success so far. This video was produced at Stanford to help highlight how the project developed, some of its impacts, and to showcase a few of the many students who have… Read More »Watch the Collaboration Between Indigenous Peacemaking Initiative and the Stanford Native American Cultural Center

NARF Attorney Brett Lee Shelton and Peacemaker and Guest Trainer JoAnne Cook are pictured with participants in the first ever Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians Peacemaking Training, held at Seven Arrows Casino and Hotel, Canyonville, Oregon, on April 21-23, 2023.  The energetic and engaged group shows great promise of implementing a strong peacemaking program under the authority of the Tribal Court.

California State and Tribal Court judges, and organizers, including NARF Staff Attorney Shelton, pose after the October 26, 2022 Inaugural Central California Tribal Justice Collaborative Judges’ Dinner, held at the Chukchansi Resort near Coarsegold, California.  Shelton was a featured speaker for the program, discussing Indigenizing Child Welfare Decisions. 

Staff Attorneys Brett Lee Shelton (Oceti Sakowin Oyate) and Beth M. Wright (Pueblo of Laguna), along with IPI Advisory Committee member Polly Hyslop (Upper Tanana) provide peacemaking training for the Choctaw Nation Judicial Branch in Durant, OK Oct 3 and 4, 2022

            Congratulations to IPI Advisory Committee member Carson Smith, who was recently announced as a recipient of the prestigious Knight-Hennessy scholarship to Stanford University where she will study law. As the biography at the link below shows, she is sure to continue to support and celebrate peacemaking along the way. Starting from her first introduction to peacemaking as an undergraduate student at Stanford, Carson has been instrumental in development of… Read More »Congratulations to IPI Advisory Committee Member Carson Smith!

    The 12th annual International Cyber-Conference on Dispute Resolution will take place Wednesday April 6, from Noon to 2:30 p.m. U.S. Pacific Time.  This is a global town-hall style dialog between practitioners working in the public and private sectors, and always includes compelling guest speakers from around the world. There is still time to register for this year’s event. Click on the link below to register: https://csudh.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAqf-qvrDwrG9W-4_JOZxZZ2SrdA6TOETB4.   

“Using Peacemaking Circles to Indigenize Tribal Child Welfare” By Lauren van Schilfgaarde & Brett Lee Shelton   Historical child welfare policies explicitly aimed to exterminate Indigenous culture and disrupt tribal cohesion. The remnants of these historical policies serve as the foundation for the contemporary child welfare system. These policies view the child as an isolated and interchangeable asset, over which parents enjoy property-like rights, and in which the child welfare system is incentivized to “save”… Read More »The Truth About Tribal Child Welfare

What No One Tells You About Restorative Justice “Undoing the First Harm: Settlers in Restorative Justice” By Edward Valandra  Historic land theft justified by the Doctrine of Discovery still plays a major role in normalizing the narrative that settler land rights override Indigenous rights established through (broken) treaties. Addressing the First Harm caused by the United States stealing Indigenous peoples land requires self-change and accountability from modern day justice systems.  Although Indigenous peoples’ communication, speaking… Read More »What No One Tells You About Restorative Justice

Living Justice Press Has Issued a Call for Contributors Attention Peacemakers: Living Justice Press has issued a Call for Contributors for a new book to be published, Colorizing Circle Practices. This is a great chance for Indigenous authors to weigh in, in a variety of ways, on the use of circles. It’s meant to give you all voice, as authorities!  For more information, please call or email Living Justice Press.     

IPI Staff Attorney Brett Lee Shelton joins UCLA Law Prof. Lauren van Schilfgaarde and NCJFCJ’s Sheldon Spotted Elk in a presentation to the National American Indian Court Judges Association on October 19, 2021 entitled, “Using Peacemaking Circles to Indigenize Tribal Child Welfare.”   The presentation was primarily based on Shelton and van Schilfgaarde’s recent article with the same name, in the Colombia Journal on Race and the Law.

Article in the Detroit Legal News about the Peacemaking Colloquium 2021, held in September in which several IPI  Advisory Committee members played a major role. To see full article, click on link: Detroit Legal News _21_9_20

‘That Went Sideways’ Podcast, Featuring Staff Attorney Brett Lee Shelton Staff Attorney Brett Lee Shelton is featured on this episode of ‘That Went Sideways’ podcast, discussing Indigenous Peacemaking Initiative, Indian Boarding Schools and several other topics.  Click the link below to listen:

Peacemaking Course Published in the Detroit Legal News September 23, 2021 Two recent students in a Peacemaking course IPI co-sponsored with several institutions of higher education, Megan Wang and Katie Orringer, drafted a wonderful summary and impression piece that was just published by the Detrol Legal news.  The article even mentions NARF, and IPI Advisory Committee members Cheryl Fairbanks, Michael Petoskey, Carson Smith, Timothy Connors, Robert Yazzie, Staff Attorney Brett Lee Shelton, as well as… Read More »Peacemaking Course Published in the Detroit Legal News

IPI co-sponsored a groundbreaking Introductory Peacemaking course online this past weekend, August 6-8. This photo features the students on hand for the final session, as well as the primary faculty for the course including IPI Advisory Committee member (and main organizer of the course) Carson Smith, Stanford American Indian Program Director Karen Biestman, Niyo Moraga-Keeswood, and Staff Attorney responsible for the IPI, Brett Lee Shelton Students came from various undergrad, graduate, and professional study programs… Read More »Introductory Peacemaking Online Course

Registration for the 2nd Annual Peacemaking Colloquium is Now Open! Happening this September 29th & 30th.  NARF’s IPI is a co-sponsor of this event, designed primarily to give interested people an introduction to peacemaking. It is intended for general audiences, so register today! TO REGISTER: Either click on the image above or follow this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf6-BmPgyAYfzpCrFKsy2mZp-W3W1GZ8DIVUh2Ysc3JKsNbcQ/viewform

Gichi-apiitendaa Gwad (Congratulations) Judge Petoskey Judge Petoskey, a member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, has had a long and lustrous career. His accomplishments include  being awarded the Tecumseh Peacekeeping Award for leadership in moving the State of Michigan courts and tribal courts away from conflict and toward cooperation. Petoskey is now the newest member of the NARF Board of Directors. Join us in congratulating him! 

Hawaiian & Indigenous Health & Healing Scholarship Fund, University of Hawai’i Foundation Please consider donating to the University of Hawai’i West O’ahu’s Hawai’ian and Indigenous Health & Healing Scholarship  Fund. This program is  providing cutting-edge, decolonizing classes helping Hawai’ians recover and fortify their traditional knowledge and lifeways, all in the context of modern times. This will serve as a model for other indigenous nations later- help it grow if you can! Our goal is to… Read More »Hawaiian & Indigenous Health & Healing Scholarship Fund, University of Hawai’i Foundation