The Cayuga are an American Indian tribe of the Iroquois Confederacy and one of the original members of the Five Nations of the Iroquois.
Known in their own language as Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ (people of the great swamp), the tribe's homeland includes the Finger Lakes region along Cayuga Lake, between two other Iroquois nations, the Onondaga to the east and the Seneca to the west.
Traditionally, the Cayuga engaged in agriculture, particularly corn. They hunted game and fished. Their villages were made up of longhouses that were home to related families. The tribe was known to take in members of other tribes. These include Huron and Erie captives, as well as refugees from several Siouan-speaking and Algonquian-speaking bands.
While the Cayuga and other constituents of the Iroquois Confederacy generally took a position of neutrality during the wars between the British and the French, continuing to trade with each, relations between the British, the Thirteen Colonies, and the Cayuga were more complicated during the War for Independence. While some Cayuga members attempted to maintain a neutral stance, there were Cayuga warriors fighting on both sides, while most of the Iroquois nations were allied with the British, largely due to encroachment on their homelands by American colonists.
From the perspective of the revolutionary government, Iroquois bands fighting with the British were particularly brutal. This led to General George Washington ordering General John Sullivan to lead a campaign to unseat the Iroquois Confederacy. The Sullivan Expedition was devastating to the Cayuga and other Iroquois homelands, destroying Cayuga villages, crops, and winter stores. Although a few managed to remain in their homelands, most Cayuga were forced to flee to other Iroquois tribes or to Upper Canada, where the British granted some land.
Some Cayuga and Seneca had left the area earlier, settling in Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Eastern Ohio, where they became known as the Mingo. After the Sullivan Campaign, more Cayuga joined them, along with bands from other Iroquois tribes. These groups were later dispersed to Indian Territory in Oklahoma, where their descendants form part of the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma.
In 1794, the Cayuga Nation in New York signed the Pickering Treaty with the United States government, ceding much of their homelands to the United States. This was the second treaty that the newly formed U.S. government entered into. While it brought about the formal cessation of lands, it also recognized the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) as sovereign nations, and this treaty remains an operating legal document.
New York State negotiated additional treaties with the tribes, but it was determined that the state lacked the constitutional authority to deal directly with the tribes.
Today, there are three recognized Cayuga bands. The largest, the Lower Cayuga and Upper Cayuga, are still in Ontario, both at Six Nations of the Grand River, a reserve recognized by the Canadian government, which includes members from each of the Six Nations of the Iroquois. There are two federally recognized tribes of Cayuga in the United States: the Cayuga Nation of New York in Seneca Falls, and the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma. The Cayuga Nation of New York does not have a reservation, but they have acquired land through purchase.
The Cayuga language is related to other Northern Iroquoian languages, particularly Seneca. As with most other American Indian or First Nation languages, it is endangered, with few Indigenous speakers.
The focus of this portion of our web guide is on the Cayuga people. Online resources representing either of the tribes or any businesses, industries, medical facilities, schools, organizations, or other entities related to either of the Cayuga tribes or owned and operated by Cayuga members, are appropriate for this category.
Recommended Resources
Hosted on Native Languages of the Americas, a non-profit organization dedicated to the survival of Native American languages, its section on the Cayuga language offers a brief overview of the language, along with Cayuga language samples and various resources and online learning materials to assist in Cayuga vocabulary, pronunciation, animal words, colors, and numbers. Cayuga dictionaries, audio, language lessons, and linguistic descriptions are included.
http://www.native-languages.org/cayuga.htm
The Cayuga Nation of New York is a federally recognized tribe of Cayuga people based in New York. In early times, the Cayuga lived between Owasco and Cayuga lakes, and were part of the Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Six Nations. As most of the Iroquois sided with the British during the Revolution, they were forced to cede their lands to the United States, after which most relocated to Canada or were removed to Oklahoma, but some remained and were allowed small reservations in New York.
https://cayuganation-nsn.gov/
Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ Learning Project, The
A project of the Center for Transformative Action, this is a collaboration of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people working to promote the awareness and practice of the Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ (Cayuga) language and traditions in their ancestral homelands and elsewhere. An overview and examples of the language are provided here, along with information about Cayuga culture. Various learning activities are offered here, with the ability to register online. Contacts are also available.
https://gayogohono-learning-project.org/
Operated by the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe, the casino, lodge, and restaurant is located in Grove, Oklahoma. Offering 45,000 square feet of gaming and live entertainment, with more than 500 slot machines and table games, Club GLC, the Players Club for Grand Lake Casino, is described, including its current promotions. Its lodge and dining options are highlighted, with prices, shuttle service schedules, policy information, online bookings, schedules of upcoming entertainment, and career opportunities.
https://www.grandlakecasino.com/
One of three federally recognized tribes of Seneca people in the United States, the Seneca-Cayuga Nation includes the Cayuga people, along with several members who are descended from both Seneca and Cayuga tribes, who were sometimes known as Mingos. Based in Oklahoma, the tribe has a jurisdictional area in the northeastern corner of Oklahoma and is headquartered in Grove. News from the Nation is posted on the site, along with a history of its formation, leadership, and staff contacts.
https://sctribe.com/
