Selecting Leadership
Selecting Leadership
In Tsm’syen governance, leadership is not chosen through elections or popularity. It is shaped over a lifetime through teachings, observation, discipline, and the judgment of the wilp (house) and clan. This page outlines public teachings on how leaders are traditionally identified, groomed, and confirmed.
1. Leadership Is Not Self-Chosen
Ayaawx teaches that:
- No one may claim a high name for themselves
- No one may declare themselves a leader
- No one may demand a position or title
Leadership is a responsibility given by the wilp, not taken by the individual.
The wilp decides. The person accepts.
2. Matrilineal Lineage Comes First
Leadership — including chiefs, matriarchs, name-holders, and certain ceremonial roles — generally follows:
- The matriline (mother’s clan)
- The house bloodline
- The succession order determined by the matriarchs and chiefs
Birth alone does not guarantee leadership — but birthplaces you within the pool of those who may be groomed.
3. Identifying Children with Leadership Potential
From childhood, elders observe:
- Behaviour
- Generosity
- Discipline
- Respect for others
- Willingness to listen
- Ability to control emotions
- Skill in learning stories, histories, and laws
This is known in some communities as **guu wilxswit** (“watching them grow”) or **guba wilxswit**.
Several children from the same wilp may be observed simultaneously. Ayaawx avoids putting pressure on a single child too early.
4. Grooming Process
A child being groomed may receive:
- Teachings from matriarchs
- Protocol lessons
- Instructions in feast hall behaviour
- Responsibility for learning names, places, and adawx
- Training in humility and proper speech
- Opportunities to assist elders in hosting, serving, and supporting feasts
- Exposure to territorial knowledge (fishing sites, berry grounds, creeks, boundaries)
Grooming is not a ceremony. It is a *lifetime curriculum.*
5. Evaluating Readiness
Readiness is assessed by:
- Sigidimhana’k (matriarchs)
- Simgigyet (chiefs)
- Knowledge keepers of the wilp
- Witnesses from allied houses
Signs of readiness include:
- Calmness
- Reliability
- Generosity
- Truthfulness
- Respectful speech
- Knowledge of ayaawx
- Presence and confidence without arrogance
- Ability to resolve conflict quietly
A leader must be trusted with the wilp's reputation — the greatest weight of all.
6. Who Makes the Selection?
The final decision belongs to:
- The matriarchs of the wilp
- The chiefs of the wilp
- Sometimes the broader wilnaatahl (extended family)
A leader is **chosen**, not elected.
The person chosen may be:
- A son or daughter of the wilp
- A nephew or niece
- A sibling’s child (matrilineal)
- Rarely: an adopted individual, if the wilp agrees and the adoption was long-standing and formal
7. What Happens If the Groomed Leader Refuses or Is Not Ready?
Ayaawx allows for:
- Choosing the next most suitable candidate
- Waiting longer
- Having a caretaker name-holder
- Splitting responsibilities among several matriarchs or chiefs temporarily
Pressure is discouraged; the wilp must remain strong, n