Stewardship and Resource Law

Stewardship and Resource Law

Category: Tsm’syen Law Page status: Working

Purpose

This page describes stewardship and resource law within Tsm’syen law. It records how resources are governed through responsibility, restraint, and balance under ayaawx, rather than extraction or ownership.

This page does not create regulatory agencies or commercial rights.

General principles

• Resources are part of laxyuup and governed by law.
• Use of resources carries responsibility.
• Stewardship prioritizes continuity over short-term gain.
• Authority is tied to care and accountability.
• Harm to resources creates imbalance requiring restoration.

STEWARDSHIP

Responsibility and care

• Stewardship refers to the lawful care of land and resources.
• Responsibility includes protection, respectful use, and renewal.
• Stewardship is exercised through conduct, not possession.
• Failure of care weakens authority.

RESOURCES

Scope

• Resources include land-based, water-based, and living resources.
• Resources are inseparable from the places they come from.
• Use of resources is subject to ayaawx.
• No resource exists outside relationship and responsibility.

AUTHORITY

Lawful governance

• Authority over resources arises from ayaawx.
• Houses hold responsibility for resources within their areas.
• Clan or Nation law governs shared resources.
• Authority exists only with demonstrated stewardship.

USE

Lawful use

• Resource use must align with law and precedent.
• Use considers necessity, impact, and future availability.
• Excessive or careless use undermines balance.
• Permission does not remove responsibility.

HARM

Damage and imbalance

• Harm to resources affects people, land, and relationships.
• Damage creates obligation to restore balance.
• Repeated harm diminishes standing and trust.
• Restoration is guided by law and witnessing.

WITNESS

Legitimacy

• Stewardship decisions require witnessing.
• Witnesses confirm lawful use and outcomes.
• Public memory supports accountability.
• Unwitnessed use lacks legitimacy.

CONTINUITY

Future responsibility

• Stewardship protects resources for future generations.
• Decisions must consider long-term effects.
• Teaching stewardship is essential to continuity.
• Law endures through correct care of resources.

LIMITS

Boundaries

• Stewardship does not permit unrestricted use.
• Authority does not extend beyond lawful scope.
• External claims do not replace internal law.
• Limits preserve balance and sustainability.

To be developed

• Documented stewardship practices
• Resource-specific responsibilities
• Relationship to restoration processes
• Interaction with external resource regimes
• Source citations

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