Yesterday, Pat and I had the pleasure of a couple of hours with Jon'a Meyer. It was the first time I had a chance to hear first-hand how the peacemaking process works on the reservation. Jon'a is a wonderfully entertaining speaker, and she has had considerable onsite experience with this work.

Things I noticed and liked right away:

Letting people speak for as long and as much as they need to. The culture of silence affects us as much as we structure that very culture into our lives. To simply say that now you may speak does not magically provide the skill requisite to do so. The peacemaking sessions Jon'a described were aided in this opening up of voices that may not have often been heard by the inclusion of the families of both victims and perpetrators. The sister or the mother of a battered wife may have fewer constraints against voicing anger and rejection than does the wife herself. The brother-in-law of the battered wife may be more comfortable speaking his frustration with not being able to protect his sister than she is herself.

The brother of the perpetrator may have spent considerable time with the battered wife and her husband. He may be willing to elaborate on "why she deserved to be beaten." But allowing both families a say in the process and a chance to speak, we are more likely to discover what in fact does provoke the violence, and set about . . .

On Wednesday morning, August 1, 2001, Pat wrote:

Yesterday, I was listening to a report on friction involving Navajos and Hopi concerning how Navajos did not want to report to Hopi. I couldn't hear all of it. I just went to yahoo and keyed in Navajo and Hopi and the following came up http://magiccookie.com/activism/black-mesa and there was an interesting piece on the history of Navajo and Hopi and how the Am government is/has been attempting to divide and conquer. This article mentions Northern Arizona and I think the piece yesterday involved Colorado. I am stilll seaching for yesterday's material. Thought it relevant since Jona's lecture on Saturday. Love and peace, Patricia

On Wednesday, August 1, 2001, jeanne wrote:

Good site, Pat. With good references. lnp, jeanne

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