03/04/2026
Journalist Regan Jacobs raises urgent questions about governance, sovereignty, and the treatment of Cayuga families in this powerful op-ed.
When do We Say Enough? The Cayuga Crisis, the Great Law, and Our Responsibility — Op-Ed.
The Cayuga (Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ) Nation has been living through a long standing internal conflict for over two decades. What some may see as a leadership dispute is, for those on the ground, something far more personal. It’s instability, housing insecurity, court battles, and a community ripped apart.
This is the moment that calls for courage and clarity.
Some background on the Cayuga land claim: In the early 2000s, litegation for the land claim reached a turning point. Federal court rulings and settlement discussions involved significant financial judgments and proposals that included the possibility of the Nation acquiring thousands of acres of land in Cayuga and Seneca counties. That legal landscape shifted again after appellate court rulings changed the trajectory of those claims.
What remains undisputed is that the period surrounding the land claim profoundly reshaped governance, land acquisition, and economic decisions within the Nation.
Many Gayogohó:no’ community members have stated that, during that time, there was consensus that any compensation related to the land claim would be used collectively to restore land and housing for the Nation as a whole. Over time, housing policies evolved, and disputes over rent, occupancy, governance, and authority surfaced.
Evictions and the demolition of various structures on Nation-owned properties have been documented in regional and national media reports and referenced in federal records. Those actions, regardless of one’s political position, have led to real human and in some instances, life threatening consequences.
Is there a point where the conversation must move beyond politics? Is it when policy becomes a human rights concern? When families, particularly women and children, are displaced, especially during winter conditions?
Those questions should not stop at whether paperwork was filed or procedures were followed. What we need to ask is whether the outcome aligns with who we are as Haudenosaunee.
The Great Law of Peace was crafted to protect the people. Our traditional leadership is entrusted with safeguarding future generations. Leadership is not solely about authority but moreso about balance, accountability, and the well-being of future generations.
The standards for International human rights reinforces these principles. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is endorsed by the United States and affirms the following:
The right of Indigenous peoples to self-determination. The right to maintain and strengthen political and governance institutions. The right not to be subjected to forced removal from lands or territories without free, prior, and informed consent. The right to improvement of economic and social conditions, including housing.
When evictions, demolitions, and displacement occur within our Indigenous communities, even when governance is contested, they raise serious human rights concerns. Legal authority alone should not supersede moral responsibility.
Self-determination is not simply about recognition by federal agencies. It is about who we say we are as citizens of the Confederacy. It is about protecting the dignity and security of the people.
The leadership dispute within the Cayuga Nation has involved both traditional governance assertions and federal recognition decisions. Traditional Cayuga leaders and community members have publicly expressed that federal representation and authority, through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, has been improperly recognized. Federal agencies, meanwhile, seem to have turned a blind eye despite ongoing upheaval and continued violence.
The tension within the Cayuga Nation places the United States government in a complex position. But complexity does not erase the responsibility they have to a community, nor its obligation.
That obligation includes careful consideration when recognition disputes arise — especially when those disputes are tied to housing, property, and enforcement actions affecting families.
This is not solely an internal Confederacy matter. It is also a matter of how federal agencies engage with contested Indigenous governance in a way that does not encourage harm.
At the same time, waiting for state or federal intervention cannot be the only path forward. Sovereignty requires internal accountability as well and at this time, is not the dispute itself, but the silence that continues to surround it.
Each Haudenosaunee Nation faces its own pressures, economic survival, jurisdictional conflicts, and generational challenges that tend to occupy daily life. But when constant instability results in repeated legal battles and displacement, it demands greater attention and reflection.
The Great Law holds us together not only ceremonially, but morally. If we stand for unity when it serves us, we must also stand for it when one of our Nations is in distress.
Silence may feel neutral. It is not. Silence becomes a position.
This is not about personalities. It is not about factional victory. It is about whether governance reflects the spirit of the Great Law — protection of the people, especially women and children; balance of power, and accountability.
When housing instability persists for years, when community members repeatedly raise concerns at council meetings without resolution, when demolition and eviction become normalized tools within political conflict — something deeper is wrong.
The Cayuga people deserve stability.
They deserve transparent governance. They deserve leadership structures that reflect both tradition and human dignity.
At what point do we say enough? Not in anger.
Not in retaliation. But in defense of the principles we claim as sacred. Self-determination is only a concept if it does not protect our own families.
Sovereignty is weakened when it becomes indistinguishable from internal harm. The world watches how Indigenous Nations navigate internal conflict. More importantly, our children watch.
History will not ask which side was victorious. It will ask whether we upheld our values when tested. The Cayuga Nation’s struggle is not simply a political dispute. It is a mirror.
And what we choose to see and do— will define us for generations.
(Photo: Members of Gayogohó:no Nation stand in front of a demolished home after a traditional Cayuga woman and her family was evicted. Seneca Lake).
