Harms to land, water, and beings (e.g. industrial impacts)
Harms to Land, Water, and Beings (e.g. Industrial Impacts)
Under Ts’msyen law, harm to land, water, and living beings is a **breach of ayaawx**. Such harm disrupts balance, damages relationships, and creates obligations of acknowledgment, correction, and restoration.
Harms may arise from individual conduct, collective activity, or large-scale industrial actions. Scale does not reduce responsibility.
Foundational Understanding
Harm is not measured only by intent.
Under ayaawx, harm is understood through:
- impact on land and waters
- effect on plants, animals, and people
- disruption of relationships
- long-term consequences for future generations
Unacknowledged harm continues to act.
Forms of Harm
Harms to land, water, and beings may include:
- contamination of rivers, lakes, and seas
- destruction or fragmentation of habitat
- poisoning of plants or animals
- disruption of migration or spawning
- excessive extraction or clearing
- noise, vibration, or disturbance
- loss of access to traditional places
- cumulative or slow-moving damage
Harm may be immediate or gradual. Both are recognized under law.
Industrial and Large-Scale Impacts
Industrial activities may cause harm through:
- pollution and discharge
- chemical or waste release
- deforestation or land clearing
- alteration of waterways
- infrastructure corridors
- exclusion from land or waters
- cumulative environmental stress
Such impacts do not exist outside Ts’msyen law.
Scale increases responsibility; it does not excuse harm.
Relationship to Stewardship Obligations
All actors who operate within Ts’msyen territory:
- enter into relationship with the land and waters
- assume responsibility for impacts
- are subject to ayaawx obligations
Stewardship obligations apply regardless of external permits or approvals.
Responsibility and Accountability
Responsibility for harm may rest with:
- individuals
- houses (*wilp*)
- organizations
- companies
- governments
- collective actors
Responsibility includes:
- acknowledgment of harm
- cessation or correction of harmful conduct
- participation in restoration
- acceptance of ongoing obligations
Denial does not remove responsibility.
Cumulative Harm
Ayaawx recognizes cumulative harm.
Repeated or layered impacts:
- magnify damage
- burden future generations
- weaken ecosystems
- erode lawful relationships
Cumulative harm requires cumulative accountability.
Restoration and Remedy
When harm occurs, ayaawx requires:
- acknowledgment of impact
- corrective action
- restoration where possible
- compensation or ceremony where required
- public witnessing of resolution
Restoration is not optional.
Limits on Activity
Where harm threatens:
- life
- water systems
- food sources
- cultural continuity
- future generations
Ayaawx mandates restraint, suspension, or cessation of activity until balance is restored.
Role of Elders and Knowledge Holders
Elders and knowledgeable persons:
- assess impact beyond technical measures
- recall adaawx and precedent
- guide proportional response
- interpret law in context of living systems
Technical assessment does not replace lived knowledge.
Teaching Through Harm
Harms and responses become part of adaawx.
They teach:
- consequence of imbalance
- responsibility for correction
- limits of exploitation
- necessity of restraint
Failure to learn from harm repeats it.
Living Law
Harms to land, water, and beings are matters of living law.
They require:
- vigilance
- courage to name harm
- willingness to correct
- commitment to restoration
Where harm is addressed, balance may return. Where harm is ignored, law weakens and loss follows.