The Longyear Museum of Anthropology’s fall exhibition, Deyothwadáhseh: Return and Renewal, highlights the continuity, creativity, and living traditions of Haudenosaunee art. Curated by assistant curator Summer Frazier (Onondaga Eel clan), the exhibition brings together historic and contemporary works in basketry, ceramics, beadwork, twining, and quillwork to explore how artistic practices have endured, adapted, and responded to changing historical circumstances.
Deyothwadáhseh (dey-oh-thwa-DAH-seh) is an Onondaga word that can describe the action of something coming around, including the spiral movement involved in tying a basket, and the act of returning when forming a circle. In this context, the idea of return speaks to the ways knowledge, artistic practices, and cultural traditions are remembered, renewed, and carried forward.
The exhibition brings together works from the Longyear permanent collection with loans from the Oneida Indian Nation’s Shako:wi Cultural Center and from the New York State Museum, Albany. It is worth mentioning, the New York State Museum loans include selected works from their historic Arthur C. Parker and Lewis Henry Morgan collections. The exhibition will also feature newly commissioned work by Chief Jamie Jacobs, Turtle Clan, of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation, alongside other contemporary works that demonstrate the continued vitality of Haudenosaunee artistic traditions.
The exhibition has been developed through ongoing consultation and relationship-building with Oneida Indian Nation, Member Nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the Eastern Band Cherokee Indians. The works on view are being presented with the appropriate permissions and in consultation with the Nations connected to them.
The exhibition opening reception, which is free and open to the public, will be held on Friday, Sept. 25, beginning at 6 p.m. The exhibition will remain on view until Dec. 11, 2026.
Please contact the Longyear Museum of Anthropology at longyear@colgate.edu for more information, or visit the website at www.colgate.edu/longyear.
About The Longyear Museum of Anthropology at Colgate University
The Longyear Museum of Anthropology is a teaching museum at Colgate University. We promote anthropological learning through experiences with material culture, including teaching, research, and storytelling. By creating opportunities to share perspectives with one another, our aim is to foster mutual understanding among peoples with diverse backgrounds and worldviews. We recognize our responsibility to the living communities affiliated with the art and belongings we house. By using our platforms for advocacy, we strive to bring attention to the inequities many such communities may continue to face.
The Longyear Museum of Anthropology is located on the Colgate University campus, off Academic Drive, on the second floor of Alumni Hall.
The Longyear Museum of Anthropology is open Tuesdays–Fridays, 9:30 a.m.– 4:30 p.m., Sundays, 11:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., and during special events. Longyear is currently closed on Mondays, Saturdays, and major holidays. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, including where to park, visit colgate.edu/longyear or call 315-228-7634.