CAYUGA 

“People of the Great Swamp” 

Cayuga Nation is part of the Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois, Confederacy, situated on the land surrounding Cayuga Lake in central New York state. The nation is comprised of 5 clans, each with a clan mother and signifying family lineage: Bear, Heron, Snipe, Turtle, and Wolf. The decision-making body of the nation is comprised of clan mothers and council representatives. Cayuga settlements have been found surrounding the lake including present-day Union Springs, Aurora, Cayuga, Seneca Falls, Ithaca, and Canoga. The Great Law of Peace (12th century) ended inter-tribal conflict by uniting Cayuga with Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk Nations. 

Currently, Cayuga Nation has 493 people mainly residing in western New York. They continue to prioritize land rights and economic growth with their treaty rights remaining under attack and their businesses being litigated in state courts. In Seneca and Cayuga counties they control a land portfolio of 824 acres. Many Cayuga are prominent figures from politics to arts: Ourehouare, a Cayuga leader helped prevent the purchase of Susquehanna lands by William Penn, leading to the end of the Iroquois War and the abandonment of New France; Gary Farmer, is a pioneer in Indigenous peoples’ media and a versatile actor appearing in 120+ films and television productions. He has received two Best Actor awards at the American Indian Film Festival and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native American Film + Video Festival; Jenna Clause, a Wolf Clan member is a Cayuga Canadian actress known for playing Martha Blackburn on the American drama, “The Wilds”; and Annessa Hartman is a Snipe Clan member and an American politician and activist elected in November 2022, to serve for the 40th district Oregon House of Representatives. 

Cayuga were forcibly removed from their land during the American Revolutionary War (1775-83) with their land parceled out to American soldiers. In November 1794, the Sachems (tribal chiefs), or Confederacy Nations, signed the Treaty of Canandaigua with the USA, validating the nation’s legal land claim of 64,015 acres. New York state failed to uphold this treaty leading to a 250-year land claim lasting until the early 21st century at which time, the nation started purchasing to reacquire their land.  

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