(a) Liberal Interpretation of This Code. St. Paul Island Tribal Codes shall be liberally interpreted to give full effect to the purposes for which they were adopted.

(b) Civil Nature of This Code. St. Paul Island Codes shall generally be interpreted as civil in nature and any violation shall not be interpreted as a criminal offense unless specifically provided by code.

(c) Severance Rule. If any provision of the St. Paul Island Code, or its application to any person or legal entity or circumstances, is held invalid, the remainder of the codes, or the application of the provision to other persons or legal entities or circumstances, shall not be affected.

(d) Unwritten Customary Law of the Tribe. The unwritten customary law of the St. Paul Island Tribe shall remain in place and shall not be infringed upon by this code. [Certificate of Adoption passed April 22nd, 2008; 2008 Code § 1.1.5]