Sa:gwáyoˀ Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ / Cayuga People, We Returned
May 30 to September 19, 2026
Sa:gwáyoˀ Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ/Cayuga People Returned is hosted by the Schweinfurth Art Center and the Cayuga Museum of History and Art from May 30–September 19, 2026, in Wahsgǫhǫ:, present-day Auburn, New York. Wahsgǫhǫ:, “Floating Bridge”, connected the Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ to the greater Hodinǫhsǫ́:nih Confederacy. There a bridge provided passage to Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ ancestors over marsh land toward Council meetings at Onǫdagehó:nǫˀ. Today, Wahsgǫhǫ: is simultaneously known as Auburn, New York.
The exhibition Sa:gwáyoˀ Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ/Cayuga People, We Returned features artworks, audio, video, artifacts, and archival documents bridge the circumstances of Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ displacement, diaspora, and return with a deeper appreciation of Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ place, society, and politics, as well as historic and contemporary modes of cultural expression. Uniting the Confederacy, Hodinǫhsǫ́:nih artists and makers throughout all Six Nations contribute their voices to this pivotal dialogue on Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ homecoming, resiliency, and repair.
Located at Wasco, Sa:gwáyoˀ Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ/Cayuga People, We Returned is an exhibition curated by Jolene Rickard, Ph.D. (Skarù·ręʔ / Tuscarora) with co-curators Audrey Chan (Brazilian-German and Taiwanese), Noah Mapes (Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe descent) and Nikki Dragone, Ph.D., J.D. (Irish/Sicilian/Hungarian/Dakota/Lakota & French Canadian heritage), allied Treaty and Haudenosaunee scholar and Schweinfurth Art Center Program Coordinator.
Special thanks to Hoya:neh Sam George and Stephen Henhawk (Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ / Cayuga) for their guidance.
Hodinǫhsǫ́:nih or Haudenosaunee and Onǫdagehó:nǫˀ or Onondaga are the way they are spelled in the Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ / Cayuga language and new orthography.
Special Events
June 6: Celebration of Sa:gwáyoˀ Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ/Cayuga People, We Returned
Join us for the Celebration of Sa:gwáyoˀ Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ/Cayuga People, We Returned from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 6, at the West End Arts Campus: Schweinfurth Art Center and Cayuga Museum of History & Art. The day will begin with the Ganǫ́hǫnyǫhk (Thanksgiving Address) given by Hoyá:neh Sam George (Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ/Cayuga, Bear Clan).
Events include performances by Dan Hill (Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ/Cayuga); Chris Thomas (Onǫdagehónǫˀ/Onondaga) and the Smoke Dancers; a Zoom talk by Dan Longboat Roronhiakewen (Ganyę́gehó:nǫˀ/Mohawk); workshops by Bernadette Scott (Onǫdawáˀga:ˀ/Seneca) and Melissa Sprague-McCann (Onę́yotga:ˀ/Oneida); traditional Haudenosaunee foods by Rick Lazore (Ganyę́gehó:nǫˀ/Mohawk) and Hazel Powless (Onę́yotga:ˀ/Oneida); and Hodinǫhsǫ́:nih/Haudenosaunee Arts & Crafts.
All events are FREE and open to the public. The exhibition is also open for free in both locations.
June 7: Cayuga/SHARE Farm Picnic
Join us 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, June 7, at the Cayuga/SHARE Farm in Union Springs for their annual picnic for a day of artists, crafts, a potluck dinner, and musical entertainment! Among the musicians and bands performing are Corn Bred; Le Beaver Bleux; Brennan Longboat; Midnight Society; Jessie Youngquest & Friends; Mark Porter; Paleface and Friends; and Daygot (spoken word & rap). Lyle Logan (Seneca/Deer) will be offering a Celestial Sunflower painting workshop from 1 to 3 p.m.; registration required. The Cayuga/SHARE Farm is located at 4061 Truesdale Road Union Springs, NY 13160 on Cayuga Territory. The picnic is free; bring a dish to share.
June 10: Panel Discussion on the Treaty of Cayuga Ferry
Join us from 6 to 7:30 p.m. June 10 at the Cayuga Museum's Carriage House Theater for presentations and a panel discussion by three scholars on the Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ/Cayuga experience of forced displacement from and return to their homelands. Peter Whiteley (American Museum of Natural History, NYC) will present “The Treaty of Cayuga Ferry (1795) and its Precedents.” Steve Henhawk (Research associate with the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program at Cornell University) will present “Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫˀ Community Perspectives on the Treaty of 1795.” Professor Kurt Jordan (Cornell University) will present “Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫˀ Reoccupation of their Homelands after the 1779 Sullivan-Clinton Invasion.” The event is organized in conjunction with Sa:gwáyoˀ Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ/Cayuga People, We Returned, an exhibition on display at the Cayuga Museum of History & Art and Schweinfurth Art Center from May 30 through Sept. 19, 2026.
