DC | First Allies: Polly Cooper and the Oneida Indian Nation
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The museum welcomes elders, leaders, and members of the Oneida Indian Nation to share with visitors the legacy of Polly Cooper, an Oneida ancestor and icon.
Polly Cooper was a hero to the American soldiers stationed at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, during the Revolutionary War. She and other Oneidas travelled more than two hundred miles through the bitter cold during the winter of 1777–78 to deliver corn to General George Washington’s starving troops.
While the rest of the Oneida relief party returned home, Cooper stayed, saying it was the Oneida’s duty to help their allies. Cooper refused payment for her contributions, but oral tradition tells that she joined some of the soldiers’ wives, including Martha Washington, for window shopping in Philadelphia and admired a black shawl and bonnet in a shop window. The wives later had the shawl and bonnet purchased, and a few weeks later, a soldier delivered them both to Cooper. The bonnet was lost over time, but the black shawl remains a treasured possession for Cooper’s descendants.
Learn more about the Oneida Indian Nation with a presentation on Polly Cooper’s legacy, along with dance performances, food demonstrations, and a short film. Visitors can also enjoy a curator-led tour of Nation to Nation: Treaties between the United States and American Indian Nations, hands-on activities, and more.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Level 1, Potomac Atrium
11 AM | Welcome: Oneida Leadership
Hear from Oneida Indian Nation Representative Ray Halbritter to kick off a day of learning about the history and culture of the Oneida Indian Nation and the legacy of Polly Cooper.
11:30 AM and 3:15 PM | Performance: Oneida Traditional Dances
Learn the Oneida stories behind traditional dances that honor the gifts of the Creator and enjoy performances by Oneida community members.
1 PM | Food Demonstration: Three Sisters
Learn about the traditional preparation of the Three Sisters (corn, beans, and squash) with Oneida elder Sheri Beglen. Beglen will share her knowledge of traditional foods and herbs that are significant in Oneida culture.
2 PM | Talk: Polly Cooper’s Legacy
Learn the story of Polly Cooper and her contributions to General George Washington’s army during the spring of 1778, and how her descendants and the Oneida Indian Nation have carried on her legacy to this day.
11 AM–1 PM, 2–4 PM | Haudenosaunee Educational Resources from Native Knowledge 360°
Learn more about the many free resources available through the museum's education initiative, Native Knowledge 360° (NK360°), such as a teaching poster, "Native Women Leading the Way: From Revolution to the Future," highlighting three Native women whose actions were historically significant during the American Revolution. Additional resources such as “American Revolution: Haudenosaunee Perseverance,” and the “Haudenosaunee Guide for Educators” will be shared. Supplies will be limited, grab a copy while they last.
11 AM–1 PM, 2–4 PM | “Unhidden Heroines” from Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum
Learn the stories of five important American women, including Polly Cooper (Oneida), associated with the men featured in monuments on the National Mall through an augmented reality storytelling experience from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum. This project aims to deepen and expand the conversation around our nation’s history during the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Visitors can enjoy the AR experience through a QR code without the need to travel to the Washington Monument.
Level 1, Rasmuson Theater
12 PM | Film: “People of the Standing Stone”
“People of the Standing Stone: The Oneida Nation, the War for Independence, and the Making of America” (Dir. Ric Burns, 2017, 27 min), narrated by Kevin Costner, traces the history of the Oneida Indian Nation, and offers a deeper look at the relationship between the community and the Founding Fathers.
Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center
11 AM–1 PM, 2–4 PM | imagiNATIONS Creations: Haudenosaunee Corn Husk Dolls
Learn about the longstanding tradition of corn husk doll making within Haudenosaunee (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora nations) cultures. Museum Educators will share the cultural importance of corn and how it is used to convey stories, values, and traditions. Then, with guided instruction, create your own corn husk doll to take home.
Level 4, North Gallery
2:30 PM | Closer Look: “Allies in War, Partners in Peace”
Join an Oneida community member to learn more about the sculpture “Allies in War, Partners in Peace” (2004) which symbolizes the friendship that was forged between the Oneida Indian Nation and the early United States of America during the Revolutionary War. A gift from the Oneida Indian Nation on the occasion of the National Museum of the American Indian’s opening in Washington, DC in 2004, this larger-than-life bronze sculpture by Edward Hlavka depicts Polly Cooper at its center, flanked by Oneida Chief Shenendoah, and General George Washington.
3 PM | Curator Tour: Nation to Nation: Treaties Between the United States and American Indian Nations
From a young age, most Americans learn about the Founding Fathers, but are told very little about equally important and influential Native diplomats and leaders of Indian Nations. Join a curator to learn about how treaties lie at the heart of the relationship between Indian Nations and the United States, including the history and legacy of US–American Indian diplomacy from the colonial period through the present.
Images: Courtesy Oneida Indian Nation
Polly Cooper was a hero to the American soldiers stationed at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, during the Revolutionary War. She and other Oneidas travelled more than two hundred miles through the bitter cold during the winter of 1777–78 to deliver corn to General George Washington’s starving troops.
While the rest of the Oneida relief party returned home, Cooper stayed, saying it was the Oneida’s duty to help their allies. Cooper refused payment for her contributions, but oral tradition tells that she joined some of the soldiers’ wives, including Martha Washington, for window shopping in Philadelphia and admired a black shawl and bonnet in a shop window. The wives later had the shawl and bonnet purchased, and a few weeks later, a soldier delivered them both to Cooper. The bonnet was lost over time, but the black shawl remains a treasured possession for Cooper’s descendants.
Learn more about the Oneida Indian Nation with a presentation on Polly Cooper’s legacy, along with dance performances, food demonstrations, and a short film. Visitors can also enjoy a curator-led tour of Nation to Nation: Treaties between the United States and American Indian Nations, hands-on activities, and more.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Level 1, Potomac Atrium
11 AM | Welcome: Oneida Leadership
Hear from Oneida Indian Nation Representative Ray Halbritter to kick off a day of learning about the history and culture of the Oneida Indian Nation and the legacy of Polly Cooper.
11:30 AM and 3:15 PM | Performance: Oneida Traditional Dances
Learn the Oneida stories behind traditional dances that honor the gifts of the Creator and enjoy performances by Oneida community members.
1 PM | Food Demonstration: Three Sisters
Learn about the traditional preparation of the Three Sisters (corn, beans, and squash) with Oneida elder Sheri Beglen. Beglen will share her knowledge of traditional foods and herbs that are significant in Oneida culture.
2 PM | Talk: Polly Cooper’s Legacy
Learn the story of Polly Cooper and her contributions to General George Washington’s army during the spring of 1778, and how her descendants and the Oneida Indian Nation have carried on her legacy to this day.
11 AM–1 PM, 2–4 PM | Haudenosaunee Educational Resources from Native Knowledge 360°
Learn more about the many free resources available through the museum's education initiative, Native Knowledge 360° (NK360°), such as a teaching poster, "Native Women Leading the Way: From Revolution to the Future," highlighting three Native women whose actions were historically significant during the American Revolution. Additional resources such as “American Revolution: Haudenosaunee Perseverance,” and the “Haudenosaunee Guide for Educators” will be shared. Supplies will be limited, grab a copy while they last.
11 AM–1 PM, 2–4 PM | “Unhidden Heroines” from Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum
Learn the stories of five important American women, including Polly Cooper (Oneida), associated with the men featured in monuments on the National Mall through an augmented reality storytelling experience from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum. This project aims to deepen and expand the conversation around our nation’s history during the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Visitors can enjoy the AR experience through a QR code without the need to travel to the Washington Monument.
Level 1, Rasmuson Theater
12 PM | Film: “People of the Standing Stone”
“People of the Standing Stone: The Oneida Nation, the War for Independence, and the Making of America” (Dir. Ric Burns, 2017, 27 min), narrated by Kevin Costner, traces the history of the Oneida Indian Nation, and offers a deeper look at the relationship between the community and the Founding Fathers.
Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center
11 AM–1 PM, 2–4 PM | imagiNATIONS Creations: Haudenosaunee Corn Husk Dolls
Learn about the longstanding tradition of corn husk doll making within Haudenosaunee (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora nations) cultures. Museum Educators will share the cultural importance of corn and how it is used to convey stories, values, and traditions. Then, with guided instruction, create your own corn husk doll to take home.
Level 4, North Gallery
2:30 PM | Closer Look: “Allies in War, Partners in Peace”
Join an Oneida community member to learn more about the sculpture “Allies in War, Partners in Peace” (2004) which symbolizes the friendship that was forged between the Oneida Indian Nation and the early United States of America during the Revolutionary War. A gift from the Oneida Indian Nation on the occasion of the National Museum of the American Indian’s opening in Washington, DC in 2004, this larger-than-life bronze sculpture by Edward Hlavka depicts Polly Cooper at its center, flanked by Oneida Chief Shenendoah, and General George Washington.
3 PM | Curator Tour: Nation to Nation: Treaties Between the United States and American Indian Nations
From a young age, most Americans learn about the Founding Fathers, but are told very little about equally important and influential Native diplomats and leaders of Indian Nations. Join a curator to learn about how treaties lie at the heart of the relationship between Indian Nations and the United States, including the history and legacy of US–American Indian diplomacy from the colonial period through the present.
Images: Courtesy Oneida Indian Nation
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Where is it happening?
Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, Washington D.C., Washington, United States
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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Host or PublisherSmithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian
