Great Woman: Polly Cooper of the Oneida

As we've discussed in previous posts, the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy were split when it came to the American Revolution and whether to ally with either side or remain neutral.  The Oneida, or some Oneida bands, threw their allegiance behind the Americans, fighting with them in battle and bringing them provisions when needed. 

Polly Cooper was a Oneida woman from New York.  Not much is known about her personal life.  She came to the forefront only briefly, when Washington's army was in desperate straits at Valley Forge (1777-78).  Oneida Pine Tree Chief John Shenandoah organized a group of Oneida, men and women, to carry supplies of parched and white corn to the American army.  While the Americans were familiar with parched corn, they had less experience cooking and consuming white corn.  At this point, Washington's men were so famished that they wanted to eat the white corn raw, as they would have the parched corn.  Polly firmly stopped them from doing so, knowing that the kernels would swell and lodge in their famished stomachs and intestines and kill them.  She showed them how to properly cook the white corn so that it was digestible. 

As the other Oneida prepared to leave, Polly volunteered to stay behind, both to make sure that her instructions regarding the white corn were followed, and to assist with preparing herbal remedies for the many ills that beset Washington's troops.  She became a fixture in the camp, cooking, nursing and doing what she could for the suffering Americans.  As Spring came, Washington offered her money for her services, but Polly refused.  Still, the Americans believed they needed to pay her something for her hard work.  Martha Washington and the other officers wives stepped in and decided that a shopping trip was in order.  They took Polly into Philadelphia and watched as she looked around her at the noise and bustle of the city.  She saw a beautiful shawl displayed in a shop window, with a bonnet to match.  The women with her pooled their resources and purchased the shawl and bonnet for her.

Polly returned to her home in New York, her place in history over.  She treasured the shawl, which was of a sheer black fabric which no one seems to be able to identify today.  Although the bonnet went missing down through the centuries, Polly's descendants have preserved her shawl, which remains in their possession today.  The Smithsonian's Museum of the American Indian contains a statue of Washington, holding a wampum belt to symbolize peace and the commitment of the Oneida people to the American cause.  Chief Shenandoah and Polly are in traditional Iroquois dress, with Polly holding a basket of provisions.  The base of the statue is carved with animals which have special significance in Iroquois legend.