Responsibility for land, water, and beings
Responsibility for Land, Water, and Beings
Responsibility for land, water, and beings is inseparable from authority.
To hold authority without responsibility is unlawful.
Principle
All authority carried by a Wilp (Waap) includes responsibility for:
- Land
- Water
- Animals
- Plants
- Human and non-human beings within the territory
These responsibilities arise from Ayaawx and are not optional.
Scope of Responsibility
Responsibility includes the duty to:
- Protect lands and waters from harm
- Prevent depletion and contamination
- Ensure access according to law
- Maintain balance between use and care
- Respond to damage through restoration
Neglect is a form of harm.
Relationship to Beings
Beings are not resources.
They are participants in the legal and moral order.
Responsibility requires:
- Respect for life cycles
- Recognition of dependency and reciprocity
- Avoidance of unnecessary suffering
- Protection of future generations
Harm to beings reflects failure of stewardship.
Accountability
Responsibility is enforced through:
- Witnessed conduct
- Public memory
- Adaawk and oral record
- Correction through law when duties are violated
Unaddressed harm erodes legitimacy.
Modern Context
In modern settings, responsibility extends to:
- Industrial impacts
- Environmental contamination
- Infrastructure and development decisions
- Delegated authority exercised on behalf of a house or nation
Outsourcing harm does not remove responsibility.
Consequences of Failure
When responsibility is not upheld:
- Authority may be challenged
- Roles may be reassigned
- Decision-making power may be withdrawn
- Restoration may be required
Law acts to restore balance, not protect misconduct.