The Cayuga Tribe was one of the original five tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy. They lived in longhouses, farmed, and hunted. Women made decisions regarding land and resources, and elected leaders. The tribe’s population was estimated at 1,500 in the mid-1600s. They sided with the British during the Revolutionary War and many moved to Canada.
The Cayuga Tribe is one of the five original tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy. Historically, the tribe’s homelands were in the Finger Lakes region of New York, located in the west-central part of the state bordering Cayuga Lake. The tribe lived in longhouses, which typically housed all members of a clan. They hunted, fished, and farmed, growing peaches, onions, corn, squash, beans, and other crops.
Men and women shared government in the Cayuga tribe. The clans were matrilineal, meaning that women often made decisions regarding land and resources. The women also elected leaders, or sachems, from among the men. These leaders were typically responsible for decisions about warfare and trade.
Ten Cayuga chiefs represented the Cayuga tribe in Iroquois councils. These meetings hosted representatives from each of the five Native American tribes belonging to the Iroquois Confederacy. Decisions made by the council were usually made by consensus and were binding on all members of the Iroquois Confederacy.
Cayuga dress was similar to that of other Iroquois Indians. Typical clothing for males consisted of breeches and leggings, often made of buckskin. Both men and women also often wore buckskin moccasins. Women generally wore shorter leggings, with wrap skirts over them, usually with an overcoat or tunic.
An often distinctive feature of Cayuga men’s clothing was the gustoweh. This was a feathered cap, usually containing only a few feathers. These were designed, with the arrangement of the feathers, to indicate which tribe an Iroquois man was from. A Cayuga male usually wore an eagle feather that hung down the back on his gustoweh to send this message.
Men of the Cayuga tribe also typically wore their hair with the sides shaved. This hairstyle also featured a scalplock – a long piece of hair left on the crown of the head – or a mohawk – a crest of hair that ran from the crown to the back of the head. Women generally wore their hair long and often braided. When in mourning, women sometimes cut their hair short.
Traditionally, the Cayuga Tribe was not as populous as some of the other Native American tribes. In the mid-1600s, their population was estimated at 1,500 members. In the late 1700s, it was estimated at just 1,100.
During the Revolutionary War, the Cayuga tribe sided with the British. When the American colonists won the war, many of the Cayugas moved to Canadian lands granted to them by the British as a reward for their support. Many Cayugas remain in Canada today. Still others joined the Seneca tribe in Ohio, while some remained in New York, where their ancestors are currently located.
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