Amusterer: initiation

2025-12-06T20:47:45Z

initiation

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= Rights of Members on the Land =
''INITIATION DRAFT — Ayaawx teaching page clarifying the inherent rights of Tsm̱syen members to access, use, harvest, and protect their traditional territories through wilp identity and ancestral law.''

== Overview ==
Every Tsm̱syen person inherits certain rights on the land through:
* lineage,
* wilp membership,
* crest identity,
* and ancestral agreements.

These rights do not come from the Indian Act,
from band councils,
from provincial permits,
or from Canadian legislation.

They come from **ayaawx** —
the oldest legal system on these lands.

== Rights Through Wilp Membership ==
A person’s first land right is their membership in a '''wilp'''.

Membership provides:
* access to harvesting sites,
* access to smokehouses and camps,
* protection under the House name,
* a place to stand in feast law,
* the right to speak on matters affecting their territory.

These rights cannot be removed by:
* elections,
* politics,
* councils,
* colonial processes.

They are inherited, not granted.

== Rights of Access ==
Members of a wilp have the right to:
* enter their traditional territory,
* travel seasonal routes,
* visit named places,
* use House canoe landings,
* gather medicines and roots,
* fish, hunt, berry-pick, or harvest according to season.

Access is governed by:
* respect,
* permission within the House,
* harvest cycles,
* and the responsibility to avoid waste.

No colonial government can extinguish this right.

== Rights of Harvesting ==
Wilp members have the right to:
* fish on their traditional river systems,
* harvest salmon, oolichan, halibut, cod, shellfish,
* gather berries, seaweed, roots, teas, and medicines,
* hunt within House territories,
* build racks, smokehouses, and temporary shelters.

Harvesting must follow Ayaawx:
* do not take excessively,
* protect spawning grounds,
* rotate harvesting areas,
* teach youth every part of the cycle,
* honour sacred places.

Harvesting is not a hobby —
it is the core of Tsm̱syen governance.

== Rights to Participate in Land Decisions ==
Members have the right to:
* speak in their wilp about land matters,
* challenge decisions that harm the territory,
* call for witnesses ([[ha’lidzap]]) when a leader oversteps,
* seek clarity from matriarchs ([[sigyidm hana̱’a̱]]),
* and request that external agreements be reviewed.

Land agreements require:
* matrilineal approval,
* House-level decision-making,
* and public acknowledgement in feast law.

A member may question any decision that threatens the land.

== Rights to Protection ==
Wilp members have the right to be protected from:
* industrial harm,
* external trespass,
* environmental contamination,
* unsafe harvesting areas,
* blocked access routes.

The wilp must:
* defend its members,
* speak on their behalf,
* intervene when danger arises,
* and challenge harmful activity through feast or legal action.

== Rights to Teach and Be Taught ==
Members have the right to:
* learn their harvesting places,
* know House stories ([[adaawx]]),
* understand territorial markers,
* participate in feast duties,
* be taught by elders and matriarchs.

This includes the right to pass knowledge forward:
* teaching children,
* leading youth on the land,
* maintaining camps,
* sharing food.

Teaching preserves sovereignty.

== Rights to Food Security ==
Every member has the right to:
* access their House food systems,
* take part in grease-making and fish-drying,
* receive food during hardship,
* and contribute to feast distribution ([[gwiikxw]]).

Food security is a legal right under Ayaawx —
not charity and not welfare.

== Rights Against Harmful Industry ==
Members have the right to:
* oppose harmful industrial activity,
* demand environmental monitoring,
* receive full information,
* expect wilp leaders to act on contamination,
* challenge any agreement made without collective consent.

On unceded land, industry requires:
* wilp-level permission,
* matriarch approval,
* witnesses,
* clear terms of access.

Without these, industry is in violation of Ayaawx.

== Limits and Responsibilities ==
These rights come with reciprocal obligations:
* show respect ([[łoomsk]]) to the land,
* avoid overharvesting,
* clean campsites,
* protect spawning grounds,
* notify the House of major activities,
* aid fellow members during emergencies,
* act with humility,
* uphold Ayaawx.

Rights and responsibilities cannot be separated.

== Summary ==
Members of a Tsm̱syen wilp hold:
* inherent access rights,
* harvesting rights,
* decision-making rights,
* teaching and learning rights,
* food-security rights,
* and the right to protection from harm.

These rights are not dependent on:
* colonial recognition,
* permits,
* reserves,
* elections,
* or administrative structures.

They come from Ayaawx, from ancestors, and from the land itself.

== Notes ==
INITIATION DRAFT — Will expand with wilp-specific examples, watershed rights, and teachings from matriarchs on access and harvesting protocols.

Rights of Members on the Land - Revision history

Amusterer: initiation