The Cayuga are one of the original five nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy,a powerful alliance of Native American tribes in the Northeast, inhabitingmuch of the land in what is now central New York State. When theirnation was destroyed in the Sullivan–Clinton campaign of 1779, the Cayugaendured 200 years of displacement. As a result, relatively little is known aboutthe location, organization, or ambience of their ancestral villages. Perched ona triangular finger of land against steep cliffs, the sixteenth-century village ofCorey represents a rare source of knowledge about the Cayuga past, transformingour understanding of how this nation lived. In Corey Village and the Cayuga World, Rossen collects data from archaeologicalinvestigations of the Corey site, including artifacts that are oftenneglected, such as nonprojectile lithics and ground stone. In contrast with theconventional narrative of a population in constant warfare, analysis of the site’sstructure and materials suggests a peaceful landscape, including undefendedsettlements, free movement of people, and systematic trade and circulation ofgoods. These findings lead to a broad summary of Cayuga archaeological research,shedding new light on the age of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy andthe role of the Cayuga in the American Revolution. Beyond the comprehensiveanalysis of artifacts, the Corey site excavation is significant for its commitmentto the practice of “indigenous archaeology,” in which Native wisdom, oral history,collaboration, and participation are integral to the research.
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