The Tournament Trophy

The Trophy for the Turning Stone Resort Championship is a smaller replica of a 19 ½ foot tall, 2,200 lb. statue created by Utah sculptor Edward Hlavka named “Allies in War, Partners in Peace,” currently on display at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C. This trophy depicts Oneida Indian Chief Shenendoah and an Oneida woman, Polly Cooper, along with Gen. George Washington. The statue is a commemoration of the alliance and friendship forged between the Oneida Nation and the United States during the Revolutionary War.

Oneidas fought alongside the colonists in key battles of the war, including Oriskany and Saratoga. The alliance was further cemented when Oneida leader Han Yerry and a group of Oneidas walked from their home in Central New York to Valley Forge, a journey of more than 400 miles, during the winter of 1777-78, carrying life-saving corn to feed the starving soldiers. With them traveled Polly Cooper, who taught the soldiers how to prepare the corn.

During the Revolutionary War, Gen. Washington asserted that “[t]he Oneidas have manifested the strongest attachment to us throughout the dispute.”

As depicted, Washington is holding a wampum belt, which symbolizes an agreement between the U.S. and the Oneida Nation, and acknowledges that neither will interfere in the internal affairs of the other.

A white pine tree in the background looms high above the three figures. The white pine bears significance to the Oneida Nation and the other nations of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy. The Peacemaker united the warring Indian nations with his message of the Great Law of Peace, unearthing the white pine tree and burying the weapons of war beneath its roots. A hatchet is buried under the tree in the sculpture, signifying this event.

High atop the branches of the formidable pine is an eagle, ready to warn the nations of approaching danger. Five bound arrows, symbolizing the union of the nations of the confederacy, are shown in the base at the back of the work. Also in the tree is a rock, which was used by the Oneidas to mark boundary lines.

Several icons of the Oneida Nation are also embedded in the statue. The turtle, wolf and bear have prominent places in the statue as they represent the three clans of the Oneida Nation.

The Three Sisters -- the sustainers of life -- corn, beans and squash are also represented in the intricately detailed work.

In the back of the statue a little girl is rendered clutching a no-face doll. The child represents the seventh generation to come – the future. The no-face doll’s story is an allegory told by Oneidas to teach children about the foibles of vanity.
Welcome to the Fall Series at the Turning Stone Resort Championship Sep 29 - Oct 5, 2008