Sorry for the length of this posting. This came across on Native-L and I
thought it might of interest to Doug Greenberg and those who might be
following this thread. It is offered only as an interesting appendix to our
discussion as it demonstrates another view of history.
 
Paul Apodaca
Bowers Museum
Santa Ana, CA
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-------------
 
Original Sender: "Oneida Indian Nation of NY" <mail.nyser.net!ny000953>
Mailing List:    NATIVE-L ([log in to unmask])
 
 
      A Vital Turn of Events:
 
 
 The Little-Known Role of the Oneidas in the Birth of the United States
 
 
It's a saga which turned the tide of the Revolutionary War. It's the story of
a simple act which became a profound event and turned the tide towards victory
for the American Colonial Army. It's a truth integral to the formation of the
United States and the success of the general who would become the country's
first president. Yet, the story of "Polly Cooper," and the  Oneida Indians
rescue of starving troops at Valley Forge, Pa., is not recorded in the history
books.
 
The Oneidas have an oral history. However, this true story has been handed
down  through the generations, and despite being overlooked by historians,
this "forgotten incident" cemented a unique relationship between the Oneida
Indian Nation and the United States of America. The Oneidas' decision to take
food to the exhausted, hungry troops changed the fabric of the war, the fate
of the Colonists' challenge, and the future of the modern world.
 
(Interestingly, the sovereign rights Gen. George Washington ensured by treaty
were rightfully upheld by the United States more than 200 years after they
were penned.  Between August 10, 1993 and February 4, 1994, the Oneida Indian
Nation of New York endured six months of challenge by the U.S. Interior
Department Assistant Secretary Ada Deer. Just days after she took office, the
new bureaucrat, herself a Menominee Indian, nearly voided the historic
agreements this country's first leaders respectfully made with their Indian
brothers.  These treaties gave the Oneidas sovereign nation status, bestowed
unlimited hunting, fishing, and  access rights to 6 million acres of land in
New York State, and forever made indelible the  Nation's brave decision and
key role in United States history.)
 
 
Physical demonstration of that alliance -- preserved throughout the years as
an enduring symbol of the friendship between two nations -- is a dark brown
gossamer-like shawl.
 
The shawl, a treasured family heirloom of the family of Oneida Polly Cooper,
is a tangible reminder to the Oneida People of their alliance with the
Colonists at a time when the Oneidas were a Nation rich in resources and
strong in political power, and the Colonists were desperately in need of help.
During the winter of 1777/78 the Continental Army was wintering outside
Philadelphia in a place called Valley Forge. Supplies were extremely low. Many
soldiers had no shoes or boots, and others went without proper outerwear. The
cold, and the lack of food, had begun to take its toll, and the garrison was
in danger of giving out. The Continental Army had no money to purchase
supplies. Merchants would not extend credit since they knew the Colonists had
no money with which to pay them.
 
 
The Oneidas, successful agriculturalists and traders then, understood the
intense desire of the Colonists to control their own destiny against the
authority of British rule. The Oneidas understood that taxes imposed on a
people from outside forces would destroy the desire for self-sufficiency. As
members of the Iroquois Confederacy, they also knew that all nations had the
sovereign right to govern their own affairs. While the Confederacy served a
function as a body which brought together the Indian Nations of this region as
a coalition, each Indian Nation had sovereign authority and could choose its
own path. As cunning businessmen, the Oneidas also saw opportunity -- to
extend help when it was needed for the chance to prosper later -- if the
outcome was successful.
 
 
Of the Iroquois Nations, only the Oneida and the Tuscarora (who lived among
the Oneida) sided with the Colonists, and staked their lives and their
livelihoods on that alliance. In a famous passage more than 200 years ago, an
old Oneida chief wrote that the Oneida would,  "Hold fast the covenant with
the United States, and with them to be buried in the same grave, or to enjoy
the fruits of victory and peace. "
 
 
During the long winter at Valley Forge, when one-quarter of the soldiers died
from lack of nourishment and exposure to the harsh winter elements, the
Oneidas walked hundreds of miles south to Valley Forge to come to the
soldiers' aid. They carried with them 600 bushels of corn and other goods to
assist General Washington. When the Indians arrived, the soldiers, cavernous
at the sight of food, attempted to eat the corn raw. However, doing so would
have swelled the dry corn in their stomachs, and they would have died from
their ignorance. Instead, the Oneidas held the soldiers back, cooked the corn,
and showed the soldiers how to eat it gradually, so it would not harm their
systems. One Oneida woman, Polly Cooper, stayed behind after the goods  were
delivered to help care for the soldiers and teach them how to cook and prepare
the corn.
 
At the end of the Revolutionary War, General Washington affirmed that the
Oneida Nation would forever be remembered for its contributions and sacrifices
to the Colonists' cause.  He ensured sovereignty and land rights for the
Oneidas in treaties. These treaties are unique to the Oneida Nation among all
Iroquois tribes, since only the Oneidas dared to ally with the  Colonists,
treaties the Oneida Nation signed were thus, and today form the basis for the
very strong claim to lands in New York secured for them by Washington nearly
two centuries ago.
 
Polly Cooper's role was not forgotten, either. The Continental Army attempted
to pay the Oneida woman for her services to the country. She refused, however,
feeling that she only  was doing her moral duty . Washington' s wife, Martha,
then decided to take Polly to Philadelphia for a tour of the then-capital and
a gift as a token of esteem and gratitude. Martha Washington purchased for
Polly the fancy shawl and a bonnet.
 
 
History notes that in addition to her service in the Revolutionary War, Polly
also was listed as a cook during the War of 1812 and was known for her
steadfast loyalty to her people.  In the first years after the Revolutionary
War when many individual Oneidas sold Oneida land to New York State, then took
their money to other regions of the United States, seeking prosperity, Polly's
family, and her descendants, remained in central New York and clung to the
land which had been Oneida since time immemorial.
 
 
The rich,  velvety-brown shawl looks fragile, but its threads are quite
sturdy. It looks as if it could float on air. Measuring 62 inches square, the
fabric is in perfect condition despite its more-than-200 years of age. The
fabric feels similar to silk, or fine horsehair. Scientists have yet to
identify the substance of the material, however. The garment has been passed
down from generation to generation. It now belongs to a great-great grandniece
of Polly Cooper. Most of the year, it is delegated to a bank vault in
Syracuse, where it awaits safely for another Oneida generation. Yet, the
priceless shawl is brought out occasionally, to bring history  alive once
again, and serve as a physical reminder that the Oneida People share a
reverence, an alliance, and a common bond unlike any other Indian Nation in
this country.
 
 
It's a story worthy of hearing, and a legacy worthy of its own place in
history.