What is Balance and Harmony

This chapter explores Indigenous conceptualizations of peace, focusing on some Native American, First Nations, Native Hawaiian, and Australian Aboriginal approaches, with an emphasis on peacemaking ceremonies. The author articulates some of the central tenets of Indigenous paradigms and explains how these shape historical and contemporary peacemaking, both among Indigenous peoples and between Indigenous and Western peoples. The ways in which colonialism has impacted Indigenous peacemaking are also explored, along with examples of the resilience of Indigenous approaches to peace. Finally, the chapter proposes ways in which “collaborations of integrity” have transformed contemporary conflicts by re-centering Indigenous peacemaking processes.