The Circle

The circle is one of the most recognized symbols in the world. Nowhere is the circle more symbolic than in the Inuit culture. Their snow houses were circular. their tents were held down by tent rings made of rock , their drums were round and they sat in a circle when eating sharing food placed in the centre for all to reach. Elders sat in a circle when discussing matters of importance and people who were tried by the elders were placed in the centre of a circle for judgment.

Inuit watched the sun make its circle in the summer completing that journey visible for everyone to see every 24 hours. From all these examples it is easy to see how the Inuit believed in the circle of life. The birth of a person , animal or even a flower had its journey with a beginning followed by natural events which eventually led to death. This was not the end but the beginning of a new cycle. This simple thought of nature and its process is appealing to me as I see the relationship to our journey through life as natural as a caribou born on the tundra and living its brief life in harmony with nature and ending in a way which either sustains life or becomes part of the tundra.

While I was in Nunavut I realized the importance of the learning circle. The justice system was deeply indebted to the circle justice. Being a JP in Nunavut gave you a special tool - sentencing circles. For a social crime like abuse to a child or spouse the person once found guilty could be offered a alternate sentence by appearing before the elders of its community for sentencing.

The elders would be summoned and the person say in the middle of a circle. On one side of the circle the family of the accused sat, and on the other side, the family of the victim.

Both sides has a opportunity to tell their take of the situation. The accused also had a chance to speak and often apologized and tried to convince everyone he would do better.

After some time - and there was no time limit - the elders would pronounce a judgement. This judgement was always agreed upon by both parties. Following the sentence both parties came together to see how they could help the make the guilty a better person and the victim some sense of agreement with the result. There are many creative sentences. In one case where I was a participant a man was banned from the hamlet and his family for two months. He had to live on the land with only his basic tools and hunted and fished for his keep. He was looked in on once every two weeks. He returned to the hamlet 2 months later a clean and better person to be accepted back with his wife and 6 children.I was happy with the initial result but checked in at times with the family and they were happy with the result as well.

To make this type of justice you must have the whole community involved and committed.

All over the lands of Nunavut there are tent rings showing that people were there and camped or lived in that spot. Some of these tent rings were used for many years and became historic sights. The Thule age is documented only by these and other visible artifacts. They are protected by law.The circle of life and the circles man has used in his search for meaning and life are never portrayed better than in Nunavut.