Who Are the Cayuga?
The Cayuga (Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ, meaning "People of the Great Swamp" or "People at the Mucky Land") are one of the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, originally inhabiting the Finger Lakes region of present-day New York State, centered around Cayuga Lake. Today approximately 5,000-6,000 Cayuga are enrolled in various communities: the Cayuga Nation of New York, Six Nations of the Grand River (Ontario), and Seneca-Cayuga Nation (Oklahoma). They speak Cayuga, a Northern Iroquoian language now critically endangered with only a few dozen elderly fluent speakers. The Cayuga lost their entire homeland in New York after the American Revolution—one of the most complete dispossessions of any Haudenosaunee nation.
In the Confederacy
Within the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Cayuga are designated "Younger Brothers" along with the Oneida, situated between the Onondaga (center) and Seneca (west). The Cayuga contribute ten sachems (chiefs) to the Grand Council—the most of any nation. Traditional governance follows confederacy patterns: clan mothers select and can remove chiefs; decisions are made by consensus. The clan system (Bear, Heron, Snipe, Wolf, Turtle, Eel, Deer, Hawk, Ball) organizes social relations and determines marriage possibilities. The Cayuga homeland between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes was rich agricultural country; the nation was known for productive cornfields. This prosperity made them targets during the Sullivan-Clinton Campaign.
Destruction and Diaspora
The American Revolution proved catastrophic for the Cayuga. Most Haudenosaunee allied with the British; in retaliation, the 1779 Sullivan-Clinton Campaign systematically destroyed Iroquois towns and crops. Cayuga villages were burned, orchards cut down, stored food destroyed. Unlike other Haudenosaunee nations who retained small reservations in New York, the Cayuga lost everything. Post-war treaties theoretically protected Cayuga lands, but illegal sales and state pressure resulted in complete dispossession by 1807. Some Cayuga relocated to the Buffalo Creek Reservation with the Seneca, later moving to Six Nations of the Grand River in Canada. Others joined the Seneca-Cayuga in Oklahoma. This diaspora split the nation across three countries/jurisdictions. In 2001, the Cayuga won a landmark federal court decision recognizing their land claim, though subsequent appeals limited the remedy.
Contemporary Cayuga
Modern Cayuga are rebuilding presence in their homeland. The Cayuga Nation of New York has purchased land in the Finger Lakes region, reestablishing territorial presence for the first time in two centuries. However, internal disputes over legitimate leadership have divided the community and complicated relations with New York State. The Seneca-Cayuga Nation in Oklahoma operates gaming enterprises and maintains cultural programs. The Six Nations of the Grand River hosts a significant Cayuga community where language and traditional practices are preserved. Cayuga language revitalization faces severe challenges—with perhaps only 50 elderly fluent speakers remaining across all communities, the language is critically endangered despite dedicated programs. Lacrosse remains culturally central. The Cayuga experience illustrates both the devastating completeness of dispossession and the persistence of indigenous identity across centuries of displacement.
References
- Hauptman, L. M. (2011). In the Shadow of Kinzua: The Seneca Nation of Indians Since World War II
- Taylor, A. (2006). The Divided Ground: Indians, Settlers, and the Northern Borderland of the American Revolution
- Graymont, B. (1972). The Iroquois in the American Revolution