Youth are members of houses and clans

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Youth as Members of Houses and Clans

Category: Tsm’syen Law Page status: Working

Principle

Youth are members of houses and clans.

Membership in a house or clan is not deferred until adulthood. It exists from birth through relationship, lineage, and recognition.

Legal Status of Youth

Youth:

  • Belong to houses and clans
  • Are carried within collective rights and responsibilities
  • Are protected by house authority and law
  • Are included in the continuity of names, crests, and territory
  • Hold future responsibilities that are prepared for, not postponed

Youth are not external to law. They exist within it.

Relationship to Responsibility

While youth do not hold authority, they remain subject to law and care.

Their role includes:

  • Learning responsibilities appropriate to age and capacity
  • Observing lawful conduct within the house
  • Being corrected with care rather than punishment
  • Being prepared gradually for future responsibility

Protection does not remove belonging.

Role of Houses and Clans

Houses and clans carry responsibility for youth by:

  • Providing care, safety, and instruction
  • Transmitting ayaawx and adaawx
  • Preventing premature authority or burden
  • Ensuring youth are not displaced or marginalized
  • Acting with future generations in mind

Failure to protect youth weakens the house itself.

Intergenerational Continuity

Because youth are members now:

  • Law must account for their future impact
  • Decisions affecting land and law must consider them
  • Continuity is treated as a present obligation

The future line exists within the present generation.

Cross References