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Queen Cockacoeske, Queen of Pamunkey, and friend of Cornelius Dabney

Little is known about the life of Cockacoeske before she succeeded her husband, Totopotomoy, chief of the Pamunkey from about 1649 until he was killed in 1656 while assisting the colonists in frontier defense against Indian foes. At 16 years old Cockacoeske (1640-1686) was the Weroansqua (chief) or Queen of Pamunkey, the leading tribe in the Powhatan "Kingdom," as the 17th century English called it. She governed over the extensive Powhatan Confederacy/Chiefdom for 30 years after succeeding her husband, Totopotomoi 1656. Cornelius Dabney was her interpreter and translator. She was usually referred to as the queen of Pamunkey. By the time Cockacoeske commenced her rule, the ancient Powhatan chiefdom had disintegrated, and the Indians of Virginia's coastal plain were no longer subordinate to a paramount leader. The Pamunkey, like other native subscribers to the Treaty of 1646, were tributaries to the English Crown. She was the main signatory for the Indians on the 1677 Middle Plantation Treaty with the English, after the last Powhatan Confederacy's war with England.

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