Elder recognition is witnessed over time
Elder Recognition Is Witnessed Over Time
Statement
Elder recognition is witnessed over time.
Meaning
In Tsm’syen law, elder recognition does not occur at a single moment.
It develops through long-term observation of a person’s conduct, knowledge, and restraint, witnessed by others across time.
Recognition that is not witnessed lacks legitimacy.
Witnessing
Witnessing involves:
- Repeated public conduct
- Consistency across situations
- Responses to conflict and harm
- Willingness to accept correction
- Respect for lawful limits
Witnesses remember both action and consequence.
Time
Time allows:
- Patterns of behaviour to become clear
- Knowledge to be tested
- Trust to be earned or withdrawn
- Authority to stabilize or fail
Recognition cannot be rushed.
Public memory
Elder recognition is preserved through public memory.
This ensures:
- Recognition cannot be privately claimed
- Authority cannot be quietly elevated
- Past conduct remains relevant
- Law is not rewritten through silence
Where memory fades, authority weakens.
What recognition is not
Elder recognition is not:
- Self-declared
- Instant
- Transferable by title
- Guaranteed by age alone
- Created by committees or offices
Recognition exists only while it continues to be witnessed.
Loss of recognition
Recognition may diminish when:
- Conduct changes
- Authority is misused
- Trust is broken
- Witnesses withdraw recognition
Loss of recognition does not require punishment. It occurs through lawful withdrawal of trust.
Relationship to law
Witnessed recognition supports interpretation but does not grant exemption.
Elders remain subject to:
- Ayaawx
- Adaawx
- Lawful limits
- Accountability before witnesses