Programs

This program brings together artist and researcher Carter King (Oneida Nation) and KarenLyne Hill (Onondaga Nation) to reflect on the history and meaning of the shawl associated with Polly Cooper—an Oneida woman whose courage and compassion aided George Washington’s starving troops at Valley Forge in 1778.

Through perspectives on Indigenous material culture, costume design, and family heritage, King and Hill will illuminate how this textile bridges centuries of history, gratitude, and sovereignty. The shawl, currently featured in George Washington: An American Paradox, serves as a profound testament to Oneida contributions to the founding of the United States