A Native American from Central New York is being honored on a new $1 coin. The release of the 2026 Native American $1 coin by The United States Mint is in recognition of the heroism of Polly Cooper during the Revolutionary War.
According to the Oneida Indian Nation, Cooper is being honored for her efforts to bring supplies and food from her Oneida homelands in upstate New York to General George Washington’s Continental Army troops at Valley Forge during the harsh winter of 1777-78. The new coin depicts Cooper as she shares a basket of corn with General George Washington.
Oneida Indian Nation Representative Ray Halbritter released a statement noting that this new $1 coin means a lot to members of the Oneida Nation.
“The recognition of this legacy and of Polly Cooper's contributions serves as a great source of pride for our people as well as for all upstate New Yorkers and all Americans who strive to uphold these principles,” Halibritter said.
Halbritter said members of the Oneida Nation are also known as America’s ‘first allies’ since they “broke away from their Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) brothers and sisters to side with American colonists in their fight for freedom on some of the bloodiest battlefields of the Revolutionary War.”
He said with the U.S. preparing to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, “it is most fitting that we celebrate and recognize Polly Cooper and the Oneida people’s role as first allies to America.”
Nichola Aregano-Diaz is a member of the Oneida Indian Nation and she’s also a U.S. Marine veteran.
Aregano-Diaz said that the support provided by Polly Cooper to the colonists is a tradition that is still being followed with continued support of the U.S. military.
“Nation members proudly continue this legacy today, enlisting for the military service at considerably higher than average rates and serving in every major American conflict since the Revolutionary War,” said Aregano-Diaz.
The U.S. mint has been issuing $1 coins as part of a Native American coin program since 2009. Each coin features Sacagawea on one side with a new design honoring other Native Americans on the other side.
Sacagawea was a Native American guide for Lewis and Clark’s expedition from the Northern Plains to the Pacific Coast.