George Washington's Army and Me, Elijah's Long Journey Home feature film has included the role of Oneida Indian Polly Cooper, a female Revolutionary War Patriot, to highlight her selfless service to soldier's at Valley Forge in 1777/1778. Polly Cooper showed the Continental Army how to properly cook and eat the corn. He believed in the cause of the Colonist and warned his white neighbors of British invaders. However, in reality, the corn was merely an additional bonus. For her services George Washington wanted her to take money in payment. As a mathematician, I ran the calculations and determined that one horse could have carried approximately 1/5 of its body weight – roughly 200 lbs. After showing the men how to cook the corn for a few weeks, she was offered payment for her services, which she refused. When a harsh winter set in, it became harder for the army’s supply system to get goods to the soldiers. The hulls on white Indian corn are much harder and take much longer to cook than regular sweet corn. Throughout the years, the bonnet was lost, but the shawl remains today in the possession of Polly’s descendants. The Oneidas stopped the soldiers, knowing that if they ate the raw corn, it would swell in their stomachs and kill them. By contrast, the white corn required extended preparation before it could be eaten. By Kandice Watson (Wolf Clan) According to Oneida oral tradition, an Oneida woman named Polly Cooper walked several hundred miles from her home in Central New York to Valley Forge in the cruel winter of 1777–78 to help feed Gen. George Washington’s starving troops. stationed at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, during the ... Cooper stayed, saying it was the Oneida’s duty to help their allies. The village of Oriska had just been destroyed in September of 1777 by Joseph Brant and British loyalists, and the Oneidas were finding it very hard to remain neutral. After the war, the Colonial Army tried to pay Polly Cooper for her valiant service, but she refused any recompense, stating that it was her duty to help her friends in their time of need. One of these Oneidas was Skayowi:yoh (Beautiful Sky). She enlisted in 1813 at the age of 31, so this cannot be the same Polly Cooper from the Revolutionary War timeframe, but could be a possible namesake or descendant of Polly. Even with this amount of corn, it was not enough to adequately feed all the troops, but this was considered a great deed by the Oneidas. Some say it is horse hair, others claim it is silk, though neither can be precisely determined. The warriors went to Valley Forge because General Washington had requested their assistance. She stayed on after the other Oneidas departed for their homeland and continued to help the troops. 10 More than likely, she prepared many different meals for the men, including corn soup, corn bread and mush, sometimes adding strawberries or nuts to the mix, enhancing the flavor and nutritional value of the corn. There were tensions between Britain and the colonies leading up to the Revolutionary War that had begun years before the start of the war. Not much is known about her personal life. The shawl has been handed down by successive descendants of Polly Cooper. You have kept fast hold of the ancient covenant-chain, and preserved it free from rust and decay, and bright as silver. By using our site you agree to, Oneidas in the U.S. Military: The World Wars, Member Served in Army as Engineer in WWII, Member Marine Corps Seargant Fought in South Pacific in WWII, Member WWII Army Captain Served with Distinction. In mid-June, 34 Oneidas returned home to Kanonwalohale, which more than likely included Polly Cooper. While the sun and moon continue to give light to the world, we shall love and respect you. Yet, over the years, that kindness has all but vanished from mainstream American History. – which is about 5 bushels of dried corn by weight. US records neither confirm or deny this oral history – but the Oneida people treasure the shawl given Polly Cooper for her selfless service in the face of adversity. It was customary for names to be re-used when someone passed away and this may have been the case with Polly. Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on the latest news. Hollywood moguls, take note: America really needs a movie about the role the Oneida Indian tribe played in the Revolutionary War. Oneida Heritage Center; Onyota’a:ká: Language. Polly Cooper: lt;p|>|Polly Cooper| was an |Oneida| woman who took part in an expedition to aid the |Continental... World Heritage Encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most definitive collection ever assembled. Among the Oneida was the native Polly Cooper. VALLEY FORGE, Pa. - Sept. 17, 2018 -- George Washington's Army and Me, Elijah's Long Journey Home feature film has included the role of Oneida Indian Polly Cooper, a female Revolutionary War Patriot, to highlight her selfless service to soldier's at Valley Forge in 1777/1778. Remembering Polly Cooper. The Oneidas traveled over two hundred miles from Fort Stanwix to Valley Forge. To show her gratitude, Oneida oral tradition holds that Martha Washington presented Polly Cooper with a shawl and bonnet. 9 Despite the great services they performed, the Oneida refused payment for what they had done. The Oneidas followed Lafayette’s lead, but soon found themselves in serious trouble as the British began to approach. Polly Cooper remained at Valley Forge that winter, serving as Washington’s cook. Toll-free Phone: (800) 685-6115, Oneida Indian Nation Police The soldiers, however, made no mention of Polly Cooper being with the men. Instead, she accepted a shawl as a token of Washington’s gratitude. Polly Cooper was an Oneida woman who repeatedly helped the soldiers serving in the US military, beginning with the Revolutionary War. Polly Cooper is one of the best examples for who the Oneida people are collectively. Martha Washington had bought her a shawl, bonnet and hat from Philadelphia. Near the entrance of the Nation to Nation exhibi-tion, Cooper is the central figure in a sculpture that The winter of 1777-1778 was especially brutal, and Gen. George Washington’s army was in dire straits while hunkering down in Valley Forge. She had stayed with the troops and taught the soldiers how to cook the white corn, taking them through the preparation process and the lengthy cooking time. On April 25, 1778 in a cold April snow corn and different from the colonists with! 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