Deskaheh in Geneva 1923-2023: Defending Haudenosaunee Sovereignty
The exhibition Deskaheh in Geneva 1923-2023: Defending Haudenosaunee Sovereignty will be traveling to Cornell University’s Arts Quadrangle in Ithaca, New York from Wednesday, September 24 to Sunday, September 28, 2025. The outdoor exhibition observes the centenary of Deskaheh Levi General’s 1923 intervention at the League of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Deskaheh, a Gayogoho꞉nǫʔ (Cayuga) hoyaneh (chief or titleholder) was sent as a spokesperson for the Haudenosaunee Confederacy representing six sovereign nations: the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora. Deskaheh Levi General’s petition is recognized as the catalyst for the international Indigenous sovereignty movement against ongoing structural inequities globally in the 20th century. This exhibition aims to celebrate his work in favor of Indigenous peoples and the role that Geneva has played and still plays in this field. The exhibition expresses the voices of the Haudenosaunee and Geneva allies.
Deskaheh in Geneva 1923-2023: Defending Haudenosaunee Sovereignty is a collaboration between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy represented by the Haudenosaunee External Relations Committee (HERC), the City of Geneva, Switzerland and Docip (Indigenous peoples’ center for documentation, research and information).
Deskaheh in Geneva 1923-2023: Defending Haudenosaunee Sovereignty first opened at the Quai Wilson in Geneva, Switzerland (July 3 – August 16, 2023). Curated by Jolene Rickard (Tuscarora, and Associate Professor in the Department of History of Art at Cornell University) with contributions from Desgáheˀ Steve Jacobs (Cayuga), Kenneth Deer (Mohawk) Amber Adams (Mohawk), Paul Williams (Onondaga) and Noah Mapes (descendant of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe, and Ph.D. student in the Department of History of Art at Cornell University). Designed by Joel Martin Graphic Design (Mohawk).
Special thanks are extended to Cornell University and the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program, the History of Art & Visual Studies Department, the College of Arts and Sciences initiatives Migrations: A Global Grand Challenge and the New Frontier Grant Program, “Reconceptualizing Haudenosaunee Studies,” and the Tuscarora Nation and Tuscarora WoodWorks for supporting the production and installation of the exhibition.
