Halftown
Must Go

Campaign Goals

The goals of the Halftown Must Go campaign are these:

• The U.S. Department of Interior and Bureau of Indian Affairs must cease to engage with Clint Halftown and must respect the Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ removal of Halftown as a representative of Cayuga Nation.
• The U.S. must recognize Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ governance as guided by the Great Law of Peace. In accordance with this, the U.S. Department of Interior and Bureau of Indian Affairs must revoke their recognition of the Halftown Council and instead affirm the Council of Chiefs and Clan Mothers as the only legitimate government of Cayuga Nation.
• U.S. President Joe Biden must meet with the Council of Chiefs as per their request invoking Article VII of the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua.

Background

The Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ (Cayuga Nation) are dealing with what the Nation's citizens have called a dictatorship—one enabled by the U.S. federal government. Since the mid-2000s, a Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ citizen named Clint Halftown has refused to step down after being removed by his Clan Mother from a temporary position within Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ governance.

In recent years, the U.S. Federal Government has bolstered Halftown, legitimizing him as "Federal Representative" of Cayuga Nation, and proclaiming the "Council" Halftown created to be the government of the Nation. These actions of the U.S. government flagrantly disregard the governance authority held by Clan Mothers and Sachems as per the Haudenosaunee Confederacy's Great Law of Peace. (The Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ are a member nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.)

Halftown has used intimidation and violence—enacted by a non-Indigenous police force he hired in 2018—to hold control of Cayuga Nation land and businesses. Since 2020, Halftown's "Cayuga Nation Police" (CNP) have escalated their violence against Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ people who speak out against him. He has now twice destroyed spaces that Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ citizens used to hold ceremonies, as well as to teach language and culture. Since August 2022, Cayuga Nation Police have also escalated their use of forced evictions, home demolitions, physical violence, and kidnappings of those who speak out.

For a more thorough overview, see this article published Sept. 29, 2022.

Media Spokespersons

Sachem Sam George
Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ Condoled Chief, Bear Clan
Media Preferences: Phone or Zoom
Availability: Most available Tues-Fri mornings, 10-noon; unavailable on Tuesday and Thursday evenings
Email: sevenclansam@gmail.com
Phone: 585-307-2701

Leanna Young
Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ Citizen, Heron Clan
Media Preferences: Phone preferred, Zoom possible
Availability: Mon-Fri after 4:30 pm, some availability on weekends
Email: leannayoung2014@gmail.com
Phone: 315-577-2205

Ken Wolkin
Settler organizer and scholar
Media Preferences: Video interview
Availability: Evenings (from 6:00pm Eastern); weekends
Email: kewolkin@gmail.com
Phone: 585-478-8147

Multimedia

We've gathered a selection of photos, videos, audio clips, and more that can be shared publicly.

Press Releases

• Tompkins County Legislators press release calling on Biden, September 1, 2022
• Council of Chiefs and Clan Mothers press release on Halftown's August 2022 destruction, August 5, 2022
• Interlaken press release, May 13, 2022
• Dryden Resolution press release, March 21, 2022
• Council of Chiefs press conference, January 24, 2022
• Halftown Must Go Movement Grows, August 26, 2021