View source for Relationship to specific lands and waters

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     Relationship to specific lands and waters
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== Relationship to specific lands and waters ==

Relationship to specific lands and waters establishes authority, responsibility, and law through place-based connection.  
This relationship is not abstract or general—it is precise, named, and remembered.

Land and water are not interchangeable.  
Each place carries its own history and obligation.

=== Place-based relationship ===
Relationship is formed with:
* particular rivers, creeks, and watersheds
* specific fishing sites, crossings, and travel routes
* defined territories, boundaries, and use areas
* named mountains, valleys, and gathering places

Authority arises from knowing **which** place, not just *a* place.

=== How relationships are established ===
Relationships to lands and waters are established through:
* first encounter or settlement
* protection and defense of place
* sustained use and stewardship
* acts of sacrifice or consequence tied to that place
* agreements with neighboring peoples
* witnessing and feast acknowledgment

Each place holds its own legal record.

=== Responsibility bound to place ===
Responsibilities tied to specific lands and waters include:
* protection of ecological balance
* maintenance of access and passage
* restraint in use and extraction
* correction of harm occurring there
* respect for beings dependent on that place

Responsibility does not transfer automatically to other places.

=== Water as connective jurisdiction ===
Waters connect territories and peoples.

Relationship to water requires:
* accountability for downstream impact
* coordination with neighboring jurisdictions
* heightened care due to shared dependence

Control over water carries shared responsibility.

=== Memory and place ===
Relationships to place are preserved through:
* adaawk naming specific locations
* living witnesses recalling use and events
* feast acknowledgment tying authority to place
* intergenerational teaching of routes and sites

Unnamed places lose protection.

=== Limits of place-based authority ===
Authority tied to one place:
* does not extend automatically to others
* is constrained by overlapping relationships
* is limited by past agreements and history

Overreach beyond place weakens legitimacy.

=== Consequences of violating place-relationship ===
When relationship to land or water is violated:
* imbalance occurs at that place
* responsibility is triggered
* authority may be challenged
* restoration becomes necessary

Places remember misuse.

=== Core principle ===
'''Authority follows relationship to place.'''  
To know a land or water is to answer for it.

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== Future links ==
* [[Jurisdictional responsibility]]
* [[Obligations to land, water, and beings]]
* [[Events that established responsibility]]
* [[Living Witnesses]]
* [[Adaawk as Legal Memory]]
* [[Limits on authority]]