What does a circle mean for First Nations?

The circle itself is considered sacred. First Nations people observed that the circle is a dominant symbol in nature and has come to represent wholeness, completion, and the cycles of life (including the cycle of human communication).

What does the circle symbolize in native spirituality?

The Sacred Circle. The circle has always been an important symbol to the Native American. It represents the sun, the moon, the cycles of the seasons, and the cycle of life to death to rebirth.

What is a native sharing circle?

Sharing circles are an essential part of the oral tradition of Aboriginal communities. The Traditional Native Feather Wand or Talking Stick is used in these circles when meetings take place and when decisions have to be made.

What is an indigenous healing circle?

Healing circles are often called hocokah in the Lakota language, which means a sacred circle and is also the word for altar. The hocokah consists of people who sit together in a talking circle, in prayer, in ceremony, and are committed to helping one another and to each other's healing.

What is the purpose of a talking circle?

Talking Circles in classrooms are usually used to demonstrate that everyone is connected and that every person in the circle has an equal voice. They also ensure that everyone can see and hear the speaker.

Circle of Life: What is the Aboriginal Worldview?

What is a community circle?

The community circle is a tool where teachers have students sit alongside them in a circle and talk about a prompt that the teacher gives. Students then pass around a certain object and share their thoughts and feelings about that prompt.

How long is a sharing circle?

Sharing Circles can vary from being a quick one minute check-in to a good ten minutes per person. From there the circle can go around in seating order.

What is a releasing circle?

Releasing circles also include state actors, but usually come together in prison after an offender has served part of their sentence, and are up for parole (Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime 2011).

What is a peace circle?

The peacemaking circle is a process that brings together individuals who wish to engage in conflict resolution, healing, support, decision making or other activities in which honest communications, relationship development, and community building are core desired outcomes.

Why is the medicine wheel a circle?

The circle shape represents the interconnectivity of all aspects of one's being, including the connection with the natural world. Medicine wheels are frequently believed to be the circle of awareness of the individual self; the circle of knowledge that provides the power we each have over our own lives.

What is the Native American circle of life?

The Circle

Its circular shape represents the continuous pattern of life and death, the path of the sun and moon, the shape of a family home (the tipi), the shape of the drum, and other significant pieces of Lakota culture. The circle plays a role in many Native American beliefs and traditions.

How do I host a peace circle?

Join in the circle and make sure you eliminate any distractors. We recommend doing deep breathing exercises with the students each time you form a peace circle. Have them close their eyes and lead them through 5 deep breaths, breathing in and out slowly. It will set the tone for a successful peace circle.

What is a harm circle?

What are harm circles? At their core, harm circles are spaces to identify harm and its impacts and take active steps toward repair by addressing the needs of those harmed, giving the person(s) who harmed an opportunity to take accountability for the harm they caused.

What should I expect from a restorative circle?

Early in the process, teachers and students together explore values—like empathy, patience, kindness, courage, and open-mindedness—that need to be respected for people to be willing to share openly and honestly in circle. They also determine best ways of working together (circle practices).

What happens during a sentencing circle?

Often the circle will suggest a restorative community sentence involving some form of restitution to the victim, community service, and treatment or counselling, and/or a period of custody. It is important to note, however, that the judge is not bound to accept the circle's recommendations.

Why do Aboriginal sentencing circles include community members?

Existing research on sentencing circles and Aboriginal justice is also explored throughout this thesis. The findings suggest that community members, victims, and offenders have begun to act on the understanding that justice is a community responsibility by participating in sentencing circles.

What happens in circle sentencing?

Circle Sentencing is an alternative sentencing method for Aboriginal offenders, which is available in 12 NSW Local Courts. Under Circle Sentencing, the magistrate works with Aboriginal elders, victims and the offender's family to determine an appropriate sentence.

What are the requirements for proper circle sharing?

Whoever is holding the object has the right to speak and others have the responsibility to listen. Everyone else is listening in a nonjudgemental way to what the speaker is saying. Silence is an acceptable response. There must be no negative reactions to the phrase, “I pass.”

How do you end a shared circle?

If all participants that have chosen to speak are finished, the circle will end with the faciltator holding the talking piece. Everyone who didn't speak should be offered another opportunity. It is okay to pass the talking piece back around the circle to that person, should they choose to speak.

How do you set up a community circle?

What is a connection circle?

Connection circles are thinking tools designed to help students understand complexity. Using them as graphic organizers, students generate ideas about changing conditions within a system. They choose the elements they think are most important to the change and draw arrows to trace cause-and-effect relationships.

What is an inclusion circle?

/ • Live. • Our Inclusive Circles™ process is a powerful approach to helping companies increase productivity and profitability by creating more inclusive environments. This is done by attending to all stakeholders as demonstrated graphically below.

Is Circle justice a real thing?

Circle justice is a Native American form of justice originating in Canada that tries to avoid simple punishments i.e. you yelled and ruined a teachers lesson so go to the principal!