SENECA FALLS (AP) -- After a nearly three-month feud, the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs is backing a change in leadership of the Cayuga Indian Nation in Central New York.

The agency ruled late last week in favor of a June 1 move by the tribe's traditional wing to replace Clint Halftown and Timothy Twoguns as its two federally recognized leaders.

Halftown and Twoguns remain in their posts and pledged Monday to appeal the decision, which could delay the change in leadership for at least several weeks.

Dissidents have reported mounting frustration over how the tribal government has been run, saying several employees in tribal businesses have been fired without just cause.

The Cayugas own over 1,000 acres in their ancestral homeland in Cayuga and Seneca counties in New York's Finger Lakes region.

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