Application across all Tsm’syen territories
Application across All Ts’msyen Territories
Ts’msyen law applies across all Ts’msyen territories. Its authority arises from *ayaawx* and is carried through houses (*wilp*), clans (*pdeex*), communities, and collective practice.
Application across territory does not erase local responsibility; it **connects it**.
Foundational Understanding
Ayaawx is shared law.
It:
- applies across Ts’msyen lands and waters
- binds conduct wherever Ts’msyen responsibility exists
- maintains coherence between communities
- protects continuity of law across generations
Shared law does not require uniform practice.
Territory and Responsibility
Application of Ts’msyen law follows responsibility.
Responsibility is carried through:
- wilp stewardship of specific places
- clan relationships across communities
- named places and adaawx
- continued use and care
Where responsibility exists, law applies.
While ayaawx is shared, practice may differ by place.
Local variation may reflect:
- ecological conditions
- specific adaawx
- historical relationships
- patterns of use and travel
Variation strengthens law when principles remain aligned.
Wilp as Primary Carriers
Wilp apply ayaawx within their stewarded territories.
They:
- regulate access and use
- guide conduct of members
- address harm and restoration
- engage other wilp through protocol
National application depends on wilp continuity.
Clan Connectivity Across Territory
Clans connect law across communities.
They:
- maintain kinship obligations
- support balance and neutrality
- transmit law across distance
- prevent fragmentation of practice
Clans are threads holding territory together.
Some territories involve shared responsibility.
In such areas:
- ayaawx governs cooperation
- protocol regulates access
- disputes are resolved lawfully
- stewardship is collective
Shared application does not weaken authority.
Application Beyond Residence
Ts’msyen law applies to Ts’msyen people wherever they act in relation to Ts’msyen land, waters, or law.
Residence elsewhere:
- does not sever responsibility
- does not extinguish law
- does not remove accountability
Relationship, not location alone, governs application.
National Coordination
Where issues cross territories:
- national coordination may occur
- Elder guidance is sought
- wilp authority is respected
- consistency with ayaawx is ensured
Coordination supports law; it does not centralize power.
Relationship to External Boundaries
Colonial or administrative boundaries:
- do not define Ts’msyen law
- do not limit its application
- do not extinguish responsibility
Ts’msyen territory is understood through law, not imposed lines.
Witness and Continuity
Application of law across territory is affirmed through:
- feast and witness
- repetition of practice
- correction when imbalance occurs
- shared memory across communities
Witness carries law beyond place.
Living Application
Application across all Ts’msyen territories is living.
It adapts through:
- practice
- renewal
- correction
- changing conditions
Ayaawx applies everywhere responsibility endures.
Continuity
Through shared application of law across territory:
- unity is maintained
- diversity of place is respected
- authority remains grounded
- future generations inherit coherence
Ts’msyen law is one law, carried many ways.