View source for Territories of the Tsm’syen tribes

= Territories of the Ts’msyen Tribes =

The Ts’msyen Nation occupies and relates to a broad network of lands and waters along the lower Skeena River, its estuary, and the surrounding coastal and inland regions of the northwest coast.

Territory in Ts’msyen law is not understood solely as fixed boundaries.  
It is understood through **relationship, responsibility, use, stewardship, and adaawx**, carried by houses (*wilp*) and recognized through ayaawx.

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== Understanding Territory in Ts’msyen Law ==

Territory is governed through:
* wilp stewardship
* clan relationships
* named places
* travel routes
* harvesting areas
* feast recognition
* shared and overlapping use

Territorial authority is relational, not abstract.

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== Skeena River and Inland Territories ==

The Skeena River is a central artery of Ts’msyen life.

Inland territories include:
* riverbanks and tributaries
* fishing sites and camps
* canyon and plateau areas
* inland travel corridors
* seasonal harvesting grounds

Communities such as **Kitselas** and **Kitsumkalum** are closely associated with these inland and river-based territories.

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== Coastal and Estuarine Territories ==

Coastal Ts’msyen territories extend across:
* the Skeena estuary
* tidal flats and shorelines
* nearshore marine areas
* islands and inlets
* saltwater travel routes

These territories support fishing, trade, diplomacy, and inter-Nation relations.

Communities such as **Lax Kw’alaams (Port Simpson)**, **Gitxaala (Kitkatla)**, and **Gitga’at (Hartley Bay)** are strongly associated with coastal and marine territories.

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== House-Based Stewardship ==

Territory is primarily held and exercised through **houses (wilp)**.

Each wilp:
* carries responsibility for specific places
* holds adaawx tied to land and waters
* governs use and access through law
* answers for stewardship failures

Tribes coordinate territory, but wilp carry it.

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== Shared and Overlapping Territories ==

Ts’msyen territories include areas of:
* shared use between houses
* seasonal overlap
* inter-tribal cooperation
* negotiated access

These relationships are governed by protocol, not force.

Overlap does not mean absence of law.

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== Travel, Trade, and Connection ==

Ts’msyen territory includes:
* river routes
* ocean passages
* portage trails
* trade corridors
* diplomatic pathways

Movement through territory has always been regulated by relationship, permission, and responsibility.

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== Southern and Related Coastal Relationships ==

Ts’msyen people maintain long-standing relationships with neighboring coastal Nations.

Communities such as **Kitasoo / Xai’xais (Klemtu)** are distinct Nations, yet have historic connections through travel, trade, intermarriage, and shared maritime law.

These relationships are governed through protocol and mutual respect.

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== Boundaries and Recognition ==

Territorial recognition occurs through:
* feast witnessing
* adaawx
* historical use
* inter-house acknowledgment
* continued stewardship

Maps may assist understanding, but they do not replace Ts’msyen law.

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== Modern Communities and Territory ==

Today, Ts’msyen people live in multiple communities, including:
* Lax Kw’alaams (Port Simpson)
* Kitselas
* Kitsumkalum
* Gitxaala (Kitkatla)
* Gitga’at (Hartley Bay)
* Metlakatla (BC)
* Metlakatla (Alaska)

Residence does not extinguish territorial relationship.

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== Territory as Living Responsibility ==

Ts’msyen territory is not static or abandoned.

It remains living law through:
* continued use
* stewardship obligations
* ceremony and feast
* intergenerational teaching
* assertion of ayaawx jurisdiction

Territory endures because responsibility endures.