> Americans adore the idea that just because it wasnt written down, it somehow holds no value to the parties involved

This is actually a point of friction between settlers and North American Indigenous communities.

As predominantly oral communities, your word holds as much weight as a written contract. They got burned by written contracts in the past wrt land usage too.

Woe betide a naive bureaucrat who makes empty promises to a First Nations / American Indian community. Speak carefully, because people will remember.