Peacemaking as ceremony: The mediation model of the Navajo Nation

This paper provides a brief overview of the Navajo Nation's Peacemaker proc ess. This process is unique in. that it is taken directly from the traditio nal methods of dispute resolution used throughout the history of the Navajo people, while embedded in the more mainstream American-style court system currently being used by the Judicial Branch of the Navajo Nation. It is pre cisely this blending of a smaller culture's traditional dispute resolution with the dominant society's methodology that makes it interesting to both t heorists and practitioners. The Navajo Peacemaker process makes it possible for Navajos to preserve a part of their cultural heritage, while also coop erating with the dominant, mainstream society.