• Update May 2013: This film is no longer being broadcast or distributed as part of the Global Spirit series.

The focus of this installment of Global Spirit is a 32-minute film written and directed by Liz Thompson, which won the United Nations Media Peace Award for Best Television for 2002. "Breaking Bows and Arrows" is set on the island of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea which has been rocked by a decade-long civil war resulting in the deaths of 15,000 people. Over a three-year period, men from both sides of the conflict talk and arrange a large reconciliation ceremony in order to liberate themselves from hatred and to heal the broken communities. The warriors share betel nut, break bows and arrows in a gesture of peace, and shake hands. The closing part of the ritual includes burying a large stone as a sign of everyone's desire to end fighting and war.

Francis, one of the participants, decides to take this reconciliation process further by digging up the bones of a tribal chief he murdered during the civil war and returning them to the man's wife and relatives. He desperately wants to be released from the guilt and heaviness that he is carrying, and the wife of the chief is also hopeful of releasing her hatred of the warrior and achieving some inner peace. At the end of the touching ceremony, Francis and the wife of the slain chief share their feelings.

Host Phil Cousineau discusses some of the major themes of this film with Ed Tick, Kate Dahlstedt, and Azim Khamisa who were in the program "Forgiveness and Healing." They talk about the process of forgiveness as it relates to community, ritual, touching, the shedding of weapons, the pain of the broken heart, and the transformation that can come through the tragedies of life.

To Continue This Journey:

  • Check out Restorative Justice Online, a resource center that provides timely information and commentary on restorative justice developments.
  • One of the major points of "Breaking Bows and Arrows" is the effectiveness of rituals in serving as a catalyst for forgiveness. Come up with your own personal ritual to spur this process in your own life. One example is given in the "Forgiveness" episode of the Spiritual Literacy DVDs. A couple devise a ritual for the end of their relationship that allows them to forgive themselves for their shortcomings. See this on YouTube.