Customary & Traditional Use Becomes a Legal Determination

ERA V — Overlay of Federal Land & Subsistence Law
Legal
1983

What Happened

Federal and state agencies developed regulatory standards to determine whether a community or group qualified for subsistence based on customary and traditional use, translating cultural practices into administrative findings.

Why It Matters Today

This marks the point where cultural legitimacy becomes something people must prove—a recurring source of resentment and distrust.

Related Patterns

Pattern 7: Cultural Expectations vs. Corporate Law
Pattern 4: Transparency vs. Interpretability

Related Governance Themes

Plain-Language Summaries for Shareholders
Transparency in eligibility rules‍

Sources

Primary Source
Secondary Source Link