Responsibilities carried by each name and crest
Responsibilities Carried by Each Name and Crest
Under Ts’msyen law, names and crests are not symbols of status or identity alone. They are **legal instruments** that carry defined responsibilities, obligations, and limits under *ayaawx*.
Authority flows from responsibility, not from the name or crest itself.
Foundational Understanding
Names and crests are active legal roles.
They:
- bind individuals to duties
- connect people to land and waters
- carry memory of lawful conduct
- impose restraint as well as authority
- transmit responsibility across generations
To hold a name or crest is to accept obligation.
Names as Living Legal Roles
Hereditary names are not personal titles.
A name:
- represents continuity of a legal role
- carries responsibilities accumulated over time
- connects the holder to past actions and precedent
- requires conduct consistent with ayaawx
- may be corrected or removed if misused
The person serves the name, not the reverse.
Crests as Records of Responsibility
Crests are not decorative emblems.
They:
- record lawful relationships with beings, places, or events
- signal specific stewardship obligations
- mark historical responsibility and consequence
- remind holders of restraint and duty
A crest recalls what must be upheld.
Relationship Between Name and Crest
Names and crests work together.
Together they:
- define scope of authority
- signal areas of responsibility
- bind conduct to place and history
- guide decision-making
- impose accountability
A name without its crest, or a crest without its duties, is incomplete.
Responsibilities to Land and Waters
Many names and crests carry obligations to:
- rivers and fishing sites
- inlets, bays, and open ocean
- mountains, forests, and travel routes
- specific named places
These responsibilities include:
- protection from harm
- regulation of access
- sustainable use
- restoration after damage
Stewardship is a legal duty, not a privilege.
Responsibilities to People
Names and crests also carry obligations to people.
These may include:
- hospitality and safe passage
- dispute resolution
- protection of vulnerable members
- maintenance of peace and balance
- leadership in times of conflict or need
Authority exists to serve the collective.
Limits and Restraint
Every name and crest includes limits.
They:
- restrict overreach
- require consultation with others
- prevent unilateral action
- demand accountability through witness
Exceeding authority is a breach of ayaawx.
Accountability and Witness
Responsibilities tied to names and crests are enforced through:
- feast and public witness
- inter-house recognition
- Elder guidance
- correction or sanction where required
Witness ensures that authority remains lawful.
Succession and Continuity
When a name is passed:
- responsibilities pass with it
- obligations do not reset
- past conduct remains relevant
- the new holder inherits unfinished duties
Succession is continuity, not renewal by erasure.
Loss, Correction, or Reassignment
Names and crests may be corrected when:
- responsibilities are neglected
- authority is abused
- conduct violates ayaawx
- harm remains unaddressed
Correction protects law; it is not punishment alone.
Recording Without Disclosure
General responsibilities may be described publicly.
However:
- detailed obligations remain house-held
- sacred or sensitive knowledge is protected
- recording does not authorize reinterpretation
- authority remains with the wilp
Protection of detail preserves integrity.
Teaching Responsibility
Youth are taught that:
- names must be earned through conduct
- crests demand care and restraint
- authority is inseparable from obligation
- law is carried through behavior
Teaching prepares future holders for responsibility, not entitlement.
Living Responsibility
Responsibilities carried by names and crests are living.
They:
- adapt through lawful renewal
- respond to changing conditions
- remain accountable to ayaawx
- bind present and future generations
Where names and crests are respected, Ts’msyen law remains balanced and whole.