Mission Statement

To continue to strive for quality of life and to provide for an orderly and acceptable way of conducting our lives within the Kainai community by providing opportunities for individual community members to resolve conflicts with the law, wrongdoings and disputes arising from various aspects of community life.

 

Introduction

The Blood Tribe has been in the process of developing the Kainai Peacemaking Program for some time and after much dialogue, research and planning, are ready to implement the program in the community, providing alternative measures for Blood Tribe members coming into conflict with the law or requiring dispute resolution.

 

Goals and Objectives

  1. To implement Kainai Traditional Peacemaking customs and values into alternative sentencing and other court sanctioned alternate and diversion measures.
  2. To address disputes between and/or among community members utilizing traditional Peacemaking practices and protocols.
  3. To reduce recividism amongst criminal offenders by resolving systemic issues.
  4. To provide healing and resolve for the individual as well as the community.
  5. To reduce incarceration rates of Blood Tribe members.
  6. To fulfill the goals set out in section 718.2 of the Criminal Code of Canada

Functions and Responsibilities

The Peacemaking Process Involves:

  1. Acknowledgement that discord had occurred.
  2. Expression of a sincere wish on the part of the party responsible to restore harmony.
  3. Third party representation and facilitation of process by Elders or Peacemakers.
  4. Family and clan playing a key role.
  5. Expression of an apology through taking responsibility and gift giving.
  6. Acceptance of the apology by the other party and the expression of a similiar wish to restore the harmony indicated verbally or by the acceptance of the gifts.
  7. Such message conveyed through Elders
  8. Use of traditional ways to dispel negativity and realign with order.
  9. In extreme cases, the Pipe, may be part of the Peacemaking process.
  10. Community based ethics.
  11. Process in Accordance with Kainaiysinni

Commentary

The settlement of the dispute is binding of the sanctity of the Pipe and the Ceremony and the people's common subscription to the underlying ontological beliefs.The dispute, no matter how serious, is set aside, forgotten as the common goal is the restoration of the whole, through the restoration of the social harmony, balance, peace and order. Gift giving, prayer and offering also restore peace and balance with the environment and other beings.

For Kainai, the world is not only a compassionate place but a forgiving one where peace can be made and balance restored. A life of harmony and balance, matsiyipaitapiiyssini, which is maintained through the processes of peacekeeping and peacemaking. The Kainai Peacemaking process will offer a traditional peacemaking process as well as a more generic restorative justice process to accomodate the diversity of needs within the community.

Being that another cultural perspectivehas been introduces to the Blood Tribe since the 1880's, there have been instances where a generic process may be preferred by the clientele.