yarning circle

The yarning circle has long been a feature of Indigenous culture but in recent times the practice has been borrowed into health and education more widely.  In Indigenous culture the circle forms so that the people in it can speak freely and honestly.  From the heart.  The yarning is managed by giving a talking stick (or shell or whatever works) to the first speaker who is then required not to talk for too long but to hand the stick over to the next speaker so that everyone can say what they want to say.  

 In the past the various representatives of the white community tended to arrive in an Indigenous community and address everyone from the front of a hall or central area in which the community members were seated.  It has been found that communication is more successful if they join a yarning circle and take their turn to speak along with everyone else.

 Schools are also adopting the circle as a way of reaching the members of the school community and encouraging students to voice their concerns, ideas, etc.

Teachers of young children are picking up on other practices, adopting a no language method modelled on the Indigenous way of teaching by demonstrating without explanation or comment. The children collaborate on sand drawings to add their thoughts on the topic to the group at large.  The sand drawing is done on butcher’s paper with felt markers rather than in actual sand. Then the yarning circle is re-formed and individuals report the information in their sand drawings to the group.