With interesting and informative events from April - November!
Talkin' bout A Revolution: A Haudenosaunee Response to the 250th - By, Vic DiSanto, Museum Associate, Iroquois Museum
General George Washington to Major General John Sullivan
The expedition you are appointed to command is to be directed against the hostile tribes of the six nations of Indians, with their associates and adherents. The immediate objects are the total destruction and devastation of their settlements and the capture of as many prisoners of every age and sex as possible. It will be essential to ruin their crops now in the ground and prevent their planting more…you will not by any means listen to ⟨any⟩ overture of peace before the total ruin of their settlements is affected.
George Washington’s direct order to John Sullivan in May 1779 is paraphrased on the while stripes of a Betsy Ross Flag by Oneida artist Karen Ann Hoffman, sharply illustrating the nightmarish results of the American Revolution on the Haudenosaunee.
At the beginning of the American Revolution, the Haudenosaunee assured the upstart patriots that they would adopt a neutral stance. The British successfully wooed and won Seneca and Mohawk warriors over to their side while the Oneida and Tuscarora allied themselves with the Americans. Onondaga remained neutral until attacked. The Battle of Oriskany on August 6, 1777, marked the beginning of a civil war within the confederation.
While most events will celebrate the quincentennial of American Independence with patriotic intensity, the Iroquois Museum in Howes Cave, NY has chosen to follow a different path. It has asked Haudenosaunee artists to contribute works representing the war’s impact on New York’s earliest inhabitants. This approach has resulted in a provocative exhibit titled “Talkin' bout A Revolution: A Haudenosaunee Response to the 250th”.
The Museum has a full schedule for 2026 and we look forward to welcoming you! Please visit us at: 324 Caverns Rd., Howes Cave, NY. https://www.iroquoismuseum.org/visit
Our Hours are: April, Thursday – Saturday 10-4, Sunday 2-4. May 1st – October 31st Tuesday - Saturday 10-5 and November, Thursday – Saturday 10-4 and Sunday 12-3. We are closed Easter, Thanksgiving and December – March.
