One of my intentions when I began this blog was to share some of the books and ideas that have been most influential in my life. Today I will share The Circle of Courage by Martin Brokenleg. The Circle of Courage is a model of youth development based on the principles of belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity. The model integrates child development practices of tribal peoples with research on child development. Martin devoted much of his life to working with Native American and other youth who were struggling and at risk, and used this model in his work.
This model is based on principles that Brokenleg and his colleagues abstracted from Native American cultures, just as Angeles Arrien abstracted four archetypes that she found common in most indigenous cultures: the warrior, the healer, the teacher, and the visionary. My blog on May 12, 2020 focused on these archetypes in her book The Four-Fold Way.
I developed and taught a course at Keene State College called Opening to Other Ways of Knowing and Being. We began the course with a unit on mindfulness which served as a foundation for the course: examining other ideas with curiosity and non-judgment. I heard Martin speak at an international conference on mindfulness and education in 2009 and immediately incorporated his ideas into my unit on Native American wisdom. I wanted the students to understand that there is so much valuable knowledge from indigenous peoples in so many areas including child-rearing, learning, justice, governance, and medicine.
Some of the text below is taken directly from the book Reclaiming Our Youth at Risk, written by Brokenleg and his colleagues so I acknowledge that source clearly here.
The Spirit of Belonging: The universal longing for human bonds is cultivated by relationships of trust so that the person can say, “I am loved.”
• All adults are seen as responsible for supporting the development of the children in the community.
• “Be related somehow to everyone you know” expressed by Ella Deloria.
• Respect for others comes from a sense of relatedness and connection.
• Belonging extends to the natural world too, not just other human beings.
My wife and I recognized the limitations of the nuclear family, and we sought organizations with intergenerational gatherings where our children could relate to other children and adults beyond our small town. However, our children rebelled against the confines of the children's programs at these gatherings. We finally settled at Ferry Beach's Family and Friends gathering, partly because the children's program was less rigid than the others. In hindsight, the philosophy of Family and Friends was more in accordance with what Brokenleg's model. At the beginning of the week, there was a meeting of all participants. It was emphasized that while the parents were primarily responsible for their children's safety, all adults were responsible for the children's safety.
The Spirit of Mastery: The inborn thirst for learning is cultivated; by learning to cope with the world, the person can say, “I can succeed.”
• Competence (cognitive, physical, social) is seen as a basic human need.
• Qualities to be mastered include self-control, self-restraint, and responsibility.
• Mastery is developed through socialization rather than formally taught: through listening, stories, ceremonies, games, and creative play.
• When a sense of competence is developed, there is social recognition and inner satisfaction.
• A person with greater ability is seen with respect and as a model as opposed to envy and jealousy
The Spirit of Independence: Free will is cultivated by responsibility so that the person can say, “I have the power to make decisions.”
• Autonomy is essential for survival but it is balanced by social controls and a balance of individual and group needs.
• While young children are very dependent, as they develop they learn and understand the rationale for desired behaviors like respect.
• Children's behavior is guided not by coercion but by encouraging the development of self-control.
• Children are encouraged and allowed to make decisions, solve problems, be responsible, and to work things out themselves (in developmentally appropriate ways).
• Instead of rewards and punishments, the emphasis is on modeling, discussion and positive expectations.
I read about a man from the Soto people telling that his grandfather would set him to watch a particular animal for a whole day. At the end of the day the grandfather would ask him what he had seen. Over time the boy began to learn the animals’ habits, behaviors, and relationships to other animals.
The Spirit of Generosity: Character is cultivated by concern for others so that the person can say, “I have a purpose for my life.”
• The highest virtues are being generous, unselfish, and sharing. Interestingly the Buddha also felt that generosity is the highest virtue.
• Children are given many opportunities and encouragement to be generous.
• A central value is that things are less important than people.
I have heard so many stories of generosity in indigenous cultures. At the conference, Martin spoke of seeing children getting presents-- a coat, a belt, a toy--and then seeing another child with that object days later. I remember reading of one tribe where the richest people in the village were the people who had the least (in terms of physical goods), because they had given so much away.
Martin contrasted Native American Empowerment Values to Western Civilization Patriarchal Values.
Native Western
Belonging Individualism
Mastery Winning
Independence Dominance
Generosity Affluence
When I look at mainstream American society now, I feel that these values of individualism, winning, dominance, and affluence are quite dominant. There is so much research demonstrating the value of an appreciation of diversity both in human societies and in the ecosystems in the natural world.