The White Orchard assembly met after several weeks of settlement work.
Ning read the agreement aloud from the front of the hall. Families would share land use and vote in the assembly. The irrigation duties, clinic shifts, school work, and process for household disputes were written in the same copy. Each household had a chance to ask for changes before the vote.
One local grower asked whether the new households could vote on a water gate they had not maintained. Olan answered that the people downstream should have a voice before the first planting, or they would bear the cost of a decision made without them.
“A vote is not the same as turning the gate,” Hala said. “The owners still control the handle. But everyone who depends on the water should be able to question the schedule.”
Mera asked the assembly to consider both points. The agreement gave each household a vote after its first shared maintenance shift, including contributions such as keeping the water record, repairing tools, or preparing meals for the crew. It did not transfer gate ownership. A household unable to work because of illness or care could ask the assembly to approve another contribution.
Several families read the passage again. One woman asked who would decide whether a contribution counted. Ning said the assembly would hear the household’s request and record its decision. No single landholder could remove a name. Mera asked for a show of hands to approve that wording before the larger agreement…
