Elders assist in clarifying how ayaawx applies to specific situations
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Elders and the Application of Ayaawx
Status: Working Category: Tsm’syen Laws and Legal Orders
Statement
Elders assist in clarifying how Ayaawx applies to specific situations.
Purpose
Elders play a vital role in helping the community understand how Ayaawx governs real and changing circumstances. Their role is interpretive and clarifying, not unilateral or supreme.
Role of Elders
- Elders assist in explaining how Ayaawx applies to particular facts and events.
- Elders draw on lived experience, legal memory, and Adaawx.
- Elders help distinguish lawful conduct from misuse of authority.
- Elders provide continuity between past practice and present conditions.
Limits of Elder Authority
- Elders do not create new law.
- Elders do not act above Ayaawx.
- Elders do not replace house or clan authority.
- Elders do not decide alone without witnesses or process.
Method of Clarification
Clarification occurs through:
- Reference to Adaawx and precedent
- Comparison with prior lawful outcomes
- Attention to responsibilities, not personal interests
- Public explanation in the presence of witnesses
Legal Effect
Elder clarification strengthens lawful decision-making by ensuring actions remain consistent with Ayaawx. Clarification does not convert interpretation into command.