Rights and Responsibilities
Ayaawx & Traditional Laws – Table of Contents
1. Wilp Membership & Identity
- Wilp Membership
- Bloodlines and Adoption
- Youth and Future Generations
- Rights and Responsibilities on the Land
- Amsiiwa – Meaning and Misuse
2. Names & Authority
- What a Name Represents
- Duties of Name Holders
- Names Connected to Land and Resources
- Misuse of Names – Modern Issues
- Colonial Drift and New “Made-Up Laws”
3. Chiefs, Matriarchs, and Governance
- Role of a Chief (Speaker, Not Ruler)
- Role of Matriarchs
- Accountability to the Wilp
- When Chiefs Violate Ayaawx
- “No Chief Stands Alone”
4. Feast Laws (Ayookx)
- Types of Feasts
- Roles of Father Clan and Grandfather Clan
- Responsibilities of Wilp Members in Feasts
- Gwiikxw – Distribution of Gifts and Food
- Smoke Feasts
- Naxnok – History Re-Enactments
- Headstone and Grave Marker Protocols
- Bax Ma’ga – Sending Loved Ones On
- Feast House Etiquette
5. Regalia & Material Culture
- Traditional Blankets and Crests
- Milton Cloth, Fur, Abalone, Goat Hair
- Vests vs Robes
- Colonial Influences on Regalia
- Talking Stick / Truth Stick
6. Land, Rights, and Responsibilities
- Unceded Lands and Wilp Sovereignty
- Protecting Land from Industry
- Climate Change Impacts
- Harvest Cycles and Food Security
- Rights of Members on the Land
7. Conduct, Ethics, and Community
- Respect, Trust, Honor, Humility
- Lateral Violence and Its Dangers
- Welcoming Returning Members
- Elders Must Never Beg
- Greed and Breakdown of the System
8. House Governance
- Wilp Decision-Making
- Father Clan and Grandfather Clan Duties
- Selecting Leadership
- Interference Between Houses