THE NAVAJO NATION PEACEMAKING PROGRAM

P O Box 520

Window Rock, Navajo Nation, AZ  86515

(928) 871-6388

Fax (928) 871-6120

Gloria Benally, Program Coordinator               

Roger Begaye, Bi-Culture Training Manager

Freddie Miller, Traditional Dine Researcher    

Ellamae K. Betsoi, Office Technician         

Peacemakers have been part of the Navajo Nation justice system since time immemorial.  In the modern era, peacemakers have been part of the Navajo Nation Judicial Branch for more than twenty years as guides in traditional dispute resolution. 

Navajo peacemaking is one of the most renowned restorative justice programs in the world. Neither mediation nor alternative dispute resolution, it has been called a “horizontal system of justice” because all participants are treated as equals with the purpose of preserving ongoing relationships and restoring harmony among involved parties. In peacemaking there is no coercion, and there are no “sides.” No one is labeled the offender or the victim, the plaintiff or the defendant.

In 2002 the Traditional Law of the Diné was codified, requiring that the justice system, comprising both courts and peacemaking, move closer to the mainstream of Navajo life.  In 2000, the Navajo Nation Council began requiring peacemakers to be involved in determining nályééh in criminal cases.  In 2003, peacemakers were further directed by the Navajo Nation Council to offer traditional counseling, education and advice to judges, clients of the courts, and the general public. 

Peacemakers are the institutional keepers of the methods and principles of original dispute resolution, culture and tradition in our justice system. 

There are presently 242 certified peacemakers at large in 110 Chapters.  The Peacemaking Program provides them institutional support.  In addition, Peacemaker Liaisons are located in each District Court who match disputants to a peacemaker that all parties will accept. 
 

There is no division of spaces between the sacred and the non-sacred.  Not only human beings but all things in life are connected and interact according to a natural order. We not only observe this connection, but live in accordance with it based on a premise similar to the law and rules that are learned in modern society.  We are concerned with the here and now, and with keeping the world in balance.  This is the focus of our traditional teachings.