Comparison of Native Hawaiian Traditional Ho‘oponopono and Modern Restorative Justice Practices

Abstract

This chapter addresses the question of whether modern restorative justice emerged from and simply replicates traditional practices by tracing its history and comparing it with the Native Hawaiian traditional Indigenous healing practice ho’oponopono. The two distinct types of group processes are compared and contrasted by applying each approach to the same case study. There have been criticisms that restorative justice advocates and practitioners have not paid enough attention to the impact of race and culture in the delivery and effectiveness of this practice (Gavrielides, 2014). Positing a traditional Indigenous healing practice beside modern restorative justice, a very Western- oriented healing practice, will add value to the usefulness of these practices to a wider population. The conclusion is not that one approach is superior, but that each has strengths that may make it more appropriate in a given cultural context.