“Peacemaking” is a language of Restorative Justice/Transformational Justice, which has its roots in Indigenous Law, Traditional Knowledge, and means somewhat different things all under the overarching term.  There are Indigenous prophecies, great laws of history, social movements which have come from different walks/ways that are collective, sometimes cultural, sometimes spiritually focused, mostly community focused, may intersect with systems of law (and called different names in different contexts/countries).

The Principles of the Gathering Include:

• The path of coming together in a commitment to ​finding our personal and collective journey in anti-oppressive justice and healing for all.
• Prioritizing peacemaking in our lives/communities and the teachings shared by KnowledgeKeepers, skilled & compassionate facilitators, and those who model restorative & transformational justice in our lives.
• Rooting the work in the community’s own culture(s), language(s), place(s), faith(s), and belief system(s) so it reflects the people that engage in it
• Guided by the wisdom of BIPOC peoples, families and communities assurance of all voices in the Circle.
• Commitment to working towards replacing criminalization and incarceration with alternative approaches to address violence and repair harm rooted in community solutions
• Supporting the creation of new thinking and language that is holistic, intersectional, interdependent, and liberatory
• Promoting and sustaining collective leadership, collaboration and partnership
• Living the values of the work internally and externally to build community and heal harm within and against communities
• Intergenerational inclusivity – people of all generations: youth, adults, Elders are encouraged to apply     (adapted from Life Comes from It Foundation)