Continuity depends on correct transmission, not assumption
Legal Continuity and Correct Transmission
Category: Tsm’syen Law Page status: Working
Principle
Continuity depends on correct transmission, not assumption.
Law does not continue simply because it is claimed, inherited, or repeated. It continues only when it is correctly taught, understood, witnessed, and practiced.
Transmission of Law
Correct transmission of law requires:
- Direct teaching from elders or recognized knowledge holders
- Context provided through adaawx and lived example
- Explanation of purpose, limits, and responsibility
- Opportunity for questioning, clarification, and correction
- Witnessed acknowledgment of understanding
Assumed knowledge is not lawful knowledge.
Risks of Assumption
Assumption of law results in:
- Distortion of ayaawx
- Misuse of authority
- Breaks in legal continuity
- Loss of legitimacy over time
- Conflicts rooted in misunderstanding rather than disagreement
Law that is assumed rather than taught becomes unstable.
Responsibility of Teachers
Those who carry law have a duty to transmit it correctly.
This responsibility includes:
- Knowing when law is uncertain or contested
- Referring questions to elders or legal memory
- Preventing simplification for convenience or power
- Correcting errors when they arise
Silence in the face of misunderstanding is a failure of transmission.
Relationship to Youth
Youth are not expected to assume law.
They are expected to learn law through:
- Teaching
- Observation
- Participation
- Witnessed responsibility over time
Correct transmission prepares youth to carry law without distortion.
Cross References
Youth and the Survival of Law Elders as Interpreters of Law Transmission of Ayaawx Adaawx as Legal Record Legal Continuity