In an era when minorities were allotted few freedoms, Mary Cornelius Winder (Wolf Clan) came of age. In 1920 at age 22, she threw off the confines society sought to inflict upon her, and began what would become her lifetime crusade -- winning recognition of the Oneida Nation's right to thousands of acres of its ancestral lands guaranteed to the Oneida People in the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua. Mary had inherited this mission from her father, Wilson Cornelius, and she in turn would pass it down to her daughter, Gloria, and grandson, Ray Halbritter.

"The story of Mary Winder is the story of the Nation," said Ray, Nation Representative. "It's because of my grandmother and my mother that I came back and became involved in the land claims and continue to carry on the struggle today."

For 30 years, until the time of her death on June 11, 1954, Mary – who had little formal education and spoke only Oneida until she attended school – would continue sending a series of letters, petitioning the government on behalf of the Oneidas to give back their land. She persistently wrote Washington asking the federal government to redress the egregious wrongs perpetrated against the Oneidas.

Wilson Cornelius had imbued in his daughter a determination to regain Oneida lands. Wilson was an educated man, and, “He wrote many letters to Washington asking for the land back, despite Washington's denials and non-response. He never gave up," said Ray.

In 1920, she wrote a poignant letter in simple prose asking the Indian Bureau how much money Washington owed to the Oneidas for the use of their land. Mary received no satisfaction from the bureaucrats. Undaunted, she continued writing letters to Washington about the return of the Oneidas' land, turning first to a friend and later to Gloria for help.

Offering any of her time was quite a feat. Mary's myriad responsibilities seem dizzying by any standard -- particularly the demands of caring for a family of 11 children. Gloria and her mother enjoyed a close relationship. She would often ask her mother questions while the two were busy with kitchen chores. During these work/talk sessions, Gloria learned the paramount importance of the treaty cloth allotted annually to the Oneida People from the federal government as required by the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua.

"My mother explained to me that a certain amount of cloth was allocated to each of the Six Nations of the Confederacy," said Gloria. "However, each year the price of the cloth would rise, so the allotment would shrink. But my mother told me that regardless of how small the pieces of cloth became -- even if it became the size of a postage stamp -- that we were to claim the cloth. It was tangible proof that the Federal treaties were in full force."

There was never a lack of work for Mary, but somehow she found a way, and the time, to travel, working tirelessly toward winning recognition of the Nation's right to its ancestral lands. She would leave her home and family in the care of her husband as she traveled to Washington, Chicago, Canada and Wisconsin. Even trips to Utica were difficult, as Mary had no car.

"I used to give Mary rides to see the lawyer in Utica who was working on the land claims," said Luella Derrick. "My father, who was born on the Oneida Territory, would go too. He was with Mary in Washington when they testified to forbid states to impose restrictions upon Indians' fishing and hunting rights."

The federal government had a history of trying to get rid of not only Indians' rights, but Indians themselves, said Gloria. "We used to call us the vanishing Americans'," said Gloria, referring to forced assimilation and the practice of sending children to Indian boarding schools, two imposed measures. "They [the federal government] would even refer to us as aliens in our own country."

In 1943, Mary wrote to the Indian Superintendent in New York stating that the Oneidas were tired of being without a homeland. Mary wanted federal intervention on the Oneidas' behalf, helping them to regain their land. The superintendent replied neither he nor the BIA could intervene.

Mary urged the Oneidas at Onondaga to form an organization which would allow the Oneidas to put in a land claim with the Indian Claims Commission. The commission required a formal organization to be in place before a claim could be filed.

Sixty Oneida families living on Onondaga met and decided to put in a claim for their ancestral lands. Meetings continued throughout the 1940s. At each one, a hat was passed for donations to buy stamps to continue the writing campaign. "Mary knew the Oneidas had a legitimate, logical claim, but also knew she needed solid supporting information," said Ruth Burr (Turtle Clan Mother), who was a secretary for the organization.

"Mary decided to go to Washington to research our treaties at the Bureau of Indian Affairs office," said Ruth. "She spoke to anyone who would listen, but unfortunately her pleas fell on deaf ears."
In 1948, Mary Winder wrote again to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The letter requested payment or return of the land New York State had illegally taken from the Oneidas. In her letters, Mary cited the Nation's allegiance with the United States in its wars, and asked for help re-claiming Nation lands. The appeals proved fruitless once again.

In the last years of her life, she moved to a farm near Bath, N.Y. and grew potatoes and other vegetables. She died from lung cancer at the age of 56, three years after the land claim was officially filed. She is buried at Onondaga. But the work she began continues.

The Nation eventually won the land claim initiated 30 years before. However, at the time the claims were originally filed, the Oneidas did not understand it was only for a monetary award, said Gloria. The quest Mary had started was always about reacquiring the Oneida land. In the 1970s, the government offered the Oneidas $3.3 million to settle the land claims forever, money that was to be divided among three groups of Oneidas -- the Nation in New York and the tribes in Wisconsin and Canada.

Ray believes his grandmother would be proud that an "Oneida way" has been found to deal with the land claims settlement creatively, without conflict.

"She would be happy that we're reacquiring our land," said Ray. "This reacquisition has not been done in poverty. We are now able to develop our lands and care for our people in a way we weren't able to for centuries."

The story of Mary Winder is the story of the Nation -- both confronted adversities and enjoyed successes. Although Mary never saw her work come to fruition, her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and all the faces yet unborn will reap its rewards. To hear her story is to feel her presence, for her spirit was indomitable and her hope eternal.

"She was ahead of her time," said Ray. "She was like someone in an age of darkness who kept the light burning, protected the light, and kept it from being expunged at great personal sacrifice. Now we all are enjoying the comfort of that light, and we owe much of it to Mary Winder."