‘Our way of life doesn't mean anything to them’: A Q&A on cultural resistance in Gayogo̱hó:nǫ’ Nation

Two decades ago, dozens of Gayogo̱hó:nǫ’ families in diaspora started returning to their homelands in upstate New York in response to a call put out by Clint Halftown, who was then and still is the federal representative for the Cayuga Nation.

Halftown’s position gives him inordinate power over the tribe and its yearly budget: When federally recognized tribes apply for funding through contracts with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), they are required to identify a representative within the tribe who has authority to enter into contracts with the U.S. government. Since 2016, the U.S. government has recognized Halftown’s role as a tribal leadership position.

The federal representative role is not seen as a leadership role by the traditional Gayogo̱hó:nǫ’ people, however. Halftown has been accused of hoarding federal funding meant for the tribe as a whole, and lacks oversight and input from elders. In the past decades, Halftown has also made efforts to suppress traditional Gayogo̱hó:nǫ’ chiefs and Clan Mothers, who comprise a separate leadership council from the one Halftown leads. Halftown’s suppression efforts have largely succeeded, in large part due to the power afforded him by the U.S. government. 

“I would ask the [U.S.] government to recognize the error that they made,” says Sachem Sam George, one of the ten chiefs of the traditional Gayogo̱hó:nǫ’ Council, referring to the federal recognition of Halftown. He continued, “I think he needs to be punished for what he’s done … And we ask them to recognize the traditional government here.”

The Nation declined to comment when sent specific questions, instead saying, via a spokesperson: “Your questions are all premised on false statements, and we cannot validate that you work for a legitimate news organization. You mention you want to provide an opportunity for the Nation to comment on ‘some or all of the claims’ but you list only four mistruths that have no basis in reality. The status of the Nation’s governing council and Clint Halftown’s status as federally recognized representative have been long resolved matters.” The spokesperson did not reply when provided with additional documentation around claims mentioned in this piece and the identity of the author.

Over the years, Halftown has repeatedly attacked places of cultural and language learning, and has targeted Gayogo̱hó:nǫ’ people who seek to restore the traditional governance to the Cayuga Nation. But the community persists, working to keep its language and culture alive.

Amber Parker, Dylan Seneca, and Karlie Jones are among the Gayogo̱hó:nǫ’ who have returned from diaspora to their ancestral homelands. They currently run cultural and language programs where Gayogo̱hó:nǫ’ children and adults learn about their heritage. These children are the first of the diaspora coming of age in their ancestral territory, but the return has not been easy.

In 2022, I started reporting on the process of U.S. interference that led to Halftown’s control over Cayuga Nation resources, including the campaign to have him removed from his leadership position. In the following conversation, I spoke to Parker, Seneca, and Jones on the cultural programs under threat, the legacies of incursion by colonial governments, and what they do to resist in their community. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

What did it take to get these programs off the ground?

SENECA: Back in 2011, my family and a lot of other families started realizing that there were no traditional aspects within the community here. I was only 18 around the time. I didn't know any language, any culture, anything. I was interested in that kind of stuff, but there was no opportunity to learn. I was approached by a few people in the community like, “Why don't we start language [program]?”

Because it's important for us to know who we are and to where we come from, and here we are in our homeland. So why not bring it back? So we did. [We started] a summer program, with the kids, not only have it be language, but let it be like a fun adventure for the kids, where we take trips—family trips if the families want to get involved and come along with us. From there, it kind of grew. We had a lot of kids come, maybe 13 to 14 kids that started coming. 

I’m curious about who attends them—is it just kids, or are there adults, too?

SENECA: Since [Halftown] tore down the Varick spot, we continue to still do programs with the kids, and we usually try to start after they get out of school. And then adults are all welcomed and always encouraged and invited to come learn as well.

JONES: I'm learning right along with them a lot of times. We were holding adult classes during the mornings where Dylan would come and teach the adults from 9AM to noon. I pick up some of the kids from school, bring them over to the Learning Center, and I would help tutor them with their English homework. The kids are now learning at night, so I'm there to assist them. It's been a challenge, but it's been fun. 

PARKER: We want to stay relevant to the seasons, to the ceremonies. And basically just to have it with the kids being present, because these kids have been through a lot just being here on territory, so it's good for them to have that knowledge on how to get through, rather than having them slip through the cracks. I think that support system is really important.

It was Gayogo̱hó:nǫ’ from Canada who taught you the language and ceremonies?

SENECA: Yes, they were familiar with the language, the ceremonies. We happened to have some Faith Keepers from other longhouses up in Canada that were here teaching us. It progressed and a few others in the program started learning quickly. We were given all different types of speeches and responsibilities, and then before you knew it, we were learning the connection to ceremonies next. It was different than just learning colors and phrases. It became a purpose. 

What happened to the spaces where you were previously holding your language and cultural programs?

PARKER: We had a schoolhouse that was taken over by Clint [Halftown]'s goons posing as federal agents. He would use outside forces and heavy machinery to take down buildings that were operating these programs and classes. 

SENECA: We moved up the road and continued ceremonies in the town of Varick. And here he comes, and he takes that spot down, too. So here we are having to move again.

Do the children have challenging questions about what is happening?

PARKER: You can’t fool them. Some of their parents have gotten physically harmed by [Halftown’s forces]. And the fact that they still haven’t been held accountable, I think, speaks volumes. I feel like for those of us who take it seriously, we're obligated to see this through and see him out of that position. He doesn't align with the duties and responsibilities of that federal representative position, nor anybody who would hold a respectable title within the [Haudenosaunee] Confederacy. There's no justice on any level of governance.

Do you feel that the U.S. government is responsible? 

SENECA: I think the outside government is affecting everything that's been going on: from when they pushed us out of our homeland territories to when they burned villages. We put in place treaties, and as long as the sun is still rising from the East and setting in the West, as long as the grass is still growing, that Two Row Wampum Treaty has to be respected.

So it’s an ongoing struggle with the outside government. And it's really hard, because of what they did to our people with those genocidal schools. I didn't know the language until I was 19, [when] I started learning. And my mom, my dad didn't know the language. So those schools affected our generations for a long time.

JONES: Do I think the U.S. government's responsible? One hundred percent. Part of their agenda is to dismantle the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, so they don't have to continue honoring those treaties. The position that he was going for as a [Bureau of Indian Affairs] representative wasn't even a leadership role. He flipped it on its head to become one. 

Does it feel accurate to say that the prevalent government structures have made it harder for you to feel safe in your ancestral lands?

SENECA: Definitely, because it's almost like it's their way or no way. When we step foot into their courts, our way of life doesn't mean anything to them. It's almost like we have to become one of them to be safe in our own homelands, just so we can live a peaceful life. And that's not the way it was intended.

JONES: As somebody who's gone through her own personal traumas, it's definitely hard to see [the children] not only deal with everything that Clint throws at them, but to see their parents in that position as well. And then to also be that first generation back on the territory with, “No pressure, you're the first ones to re-Indigenize your homelands. Good luck!”

There’s very much this destruction of community, but then there are folks like you re-seeding and growing it again.

PARKER: It's extremely important for us to take into consideration what generational trauma does once it gets triggered. With this sham police force and [Halftown’s] goon squad harassing children while they're outside playing at their own residences—the idea of home itself has been tainted. I think that for anybody from the outside looking in, they should consider what that does to not just the children, but to governance as a whole. 

We’re resilient but I would have never anticipated the [level] of trauma that everybody would be experiencing. Our people hurt very deeply, and they've gotten hurt physically. The responsibility of healing does a lot to us as a community. It has forced us to either rise to the occasion, or neglect our duties to see these kids through in a proper manner. Bringing them peace, bringing them a sense of security should be prioritized.