Lewis & Clark Law School Co-Hosts International Peacemaking Colloquium

Lewis & Clark Law School co-hosted with the National American Indian Court Judges Association (NAICJA) the international 2020 Peacemaking Colloquium which highlighted Tribal/Indigenious/State dispute resolutions with participants from the United States, Ireland, Columbia, England, and Scotland.

Peacemaking is an Indigenous circle process based on tribal values and customary law that provides a basis for helping resolve conflicts and disputes. Lewis & Clark Law School has hosted several national colloquiums involving peacemakers, scholars, tribal communities and law students over the years. This year’s colloquium, held August 5th-6th, hosted panels of tribal elders and wisdom keepers who shared their indigenous knowledge in a contemporary law context. Dr. Carma Corcoran (Chippewa-Cree), Director of the Indian Law program at Lewis & Clark, was a presenter on several panels and helped plan the event.

“The process of planning the Colloquium was a rich collaboration between Native American/Alaska Native/Hawaiian judges, elders, university professors and directors, lawyers, foundation staff, scholars, practitioners, and students,” stated Dr. Corcoran. “This event was a great experience because we planned and executed it with an Indigenous way of interacting while keeping our personal and group focus on peacekeeping.”

Dr. Corcoran was a panelist on the “Trauma Informed Peace Circles” panel and presented on Gentle Action: Theory and Traditional Ways. Dr. Corcoran was also a panelist on the “University Partnerships - Tribal, National & International” panel. Students from Lewis & Clark Law School and Portland State University also served on the “Warrior Lawyers” panel which viewed and discussed a Native American Rights Fund (NARF) video on Indigenous Peacemaking.

The colloquium had over 300 participants tune in virtually over the two days.