Nya:węh swagwé:gǫh,

This fundraiser exists for one purpose: to provide legal funds so that our attorneys can open a case in U.S. Federal Court. This is necessary to accomplish our goal of changing the U.S. Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs’ illegal selection of "Federal Representative" for the Cayuga Nation.

Our Nation (not tribe) is a sovereign member of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Decisions are not made for us by any outside bodies of government or leadership. Haudenosaunee Nations each have Clan Mothers, a Council of Chiefs, and Faith Keepers; we have our own responsibilities in relationship with our People, our communities, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy of Nations, and other Peoples. Ǫgwehǫ:weh (the original people) continue to struggle for the fulfillment of treaty agreements made with the U.S. and Canadian Nations.

The U.S. Federal BIA’s chosen person and the associated “Cayuga Nation Tribal Court” and “Cayuga Nation Police Department” were not selected or affirmed by our People or our governing bodies. The illegitimate “Cayuga Nation of New York” has engaged in acts of tyranny against those who have disagreed with the U.S. Federal BIA’s selection for years; ordering the destruction of homes, businesses, and important community gathering places (some while occupied and without first disconnecting utility lines); physical attacks and threats against families of citizens and their supporters with drawn firearms and chemical weapons, kidnappings and detainments of medically vulnerable people; numerous lawsuits; attempted evictions; acts of financial retribution including wage garnishments and withholding of Covid-relief funds; and confiscation of ceremonial items.

A community of our Nation's citizens, including families with elders and young children, lives near Cayuga Lake in a “reservation” area agreed to in the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua. These families have been targeted by the “Cayuga Nation of New York” since the U.S. Federal BIA consolidated control over our unceded lands and our Nation’s resources within this treaty-defined area in 2017. 2017 was the landmark year that official representatives of the U.S. government secretively made their decision in violation of our Nation’s right to self-determination as an Indigenous People.

The total fundraising goal of $220,000 USD covers the legal work necessary to proceed at the U.S. Federal Court level, as well as fiscal sponsorship fees associated with this fundraiser. Nya:węh go:wah to all our relatives and friends for your continuing support.

We will always be grateful to the thousands of our relatives and friends who have supported us for years by donating towards legal expenses and in so many other ways- including saving the Cayuga SHARE Farm for the generations of faces yet to come, supporting the traditional community of families near Cayuga Lake with mutual aid and direct action, and growing the movement to support the sovereignty of our People, our Nation, and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

O:neh,

Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ (Cayuga) Nation Clan Mothers and Council of Chiefs

This online fundraiser, Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ (Cayuga) Legal Defense Fund, is fiscally sponsored by Tiny Seed Project Inc., a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your donation is tax-deductible. Tiny Seed Project is a women-founded, Vermont-based fiscal sponsorship nonprofit organization. We empower people and projects working with food sovereignty, regenerative farming, racial equity, habitat restoration, arts and culture, and Indigenous knowledge. We provide nonprofit status and administrative services for conservation and community-focused projects that align with our mission. This support allows groups to receive tax-deductible donations and grant funding for their work without having to incorporate and attain their own 501 (c)(3). Tiny Seed Project’s unique business model embodies our core values. Conservation. Creativity. Community. We strive to provide solid and transparent background support so more of each dollar donated is put on the ground helping people and the environment. From tiny seeds grow strong trees!

This online fundraiser’s charitable purposes include providing community security for families of Cayuga Nation citizens who now live in their People’s original territory near Cayuga Lake. These families returned to their unceded territory more than 200 years after their ancestors fled for their lives from the Scorched Earth (Sullivan-Clinton) Campaign- an act of genocide ordered by George Washington and perpetrated by Continental Army soldiers who annihilated entire villages, orchards, and gardens. Other charitable purposes of this fundraiser are cultural freedom and educational development, including revitalization of language and agriculture.

We accept international and recurring donations. Click the purple “DONATE” button at the top right of your screen to send your donation by credit/debit card, venmo, PayPal, ACH bank transfer (via the Plaid payment processing platform), or donor-advised fund or to let us know that you are sending an offline check/donation.

To send your donation by mail:

write your check to “Tiny Seed Project, Inc.”

with the memo line "Gayogohono (Cayuga)”

and mail to

Gayogohono (Cayuga) Legal Defense Fund

C/O Tiny Seed Project, Inc.

154 Silver Road

East Hardwick, VT 05836

Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ (Cayuga) Legal Defense Fund

By Tiny Seed Project, Inc.

Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ (Cayuga) Legal Defense Fund

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