Responsibility is collective as well as individual

Collective and Individual Responsibility

Category: Tsm’syen Law Page status: Working

Purpose

This page records the principle that responsibility within Tsm’syen law is collective as well as individual. It affirms that harm, accountability, and restoration may involve individuals, houses, clans, and the Nation as a whole.

This page is declarative and does not establish courts, penalties, or enforcement bodies.

Principle

Responsibility is collective as well as individual.

Meaning

• Harm may arise from individual actions and collective conditions.
• Responsibility may extend beyond a single person.
• Restoration requires participation at the appropriate social level.

Individual Responsibility

• Individuals are responsible for their actions and conduct.
• Acknowledgment of harm is required for restoration.
• Individual accountability supports trust and learning.

Collective Responsibility

• Houses and clans share responsibility for the conduct of their members.
• Collective responsibility supports guidance, correction, and repair.
• The Nation holds responsibility where harm affects shared relationships or land.

Restoration

• Restoration may involve individual repair and collective action.
• Collective responsibility prevents isolation or abandonment.
• Restoration is measured by repaired relationships and restored balance.

Balance

• Responsibility is proportional to the scope of harm.
• Collective responsibility does not erase individual accountability.
• Individual responsibility does not negate collective duty.

Limits

• Collective responsibility does not justify punishment of the uninvolved.
• Responsibility must be assigned carefully and lawfully.
• Blame alone does not fulfill responsibility.

Cross References

• Principles of Restorative Justice
• Harm Creates Imbalance
• Justice Seeks Restoration, Not Retaliation
• Resolution Prioritizes Repair of Relationships
• Balance in Tsm’syen Law
• Ayaawx
• Adaawx

To Be Developed

• Examples of shared responsibility in practice
• House- and clan-based restorative responses
• Contemporary applications
• Source citations