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Necotowance (Unknown birth year – died before 1655) wasWerowance (chief) of thePamunkeytribe and Paramount Chief of thePowhatan Paramount Chiefdom afterOpechancanough, from 1646 until his death sometime before 1655. Necotowance signed a treaty with theColony of Virginia in 1646, at which time he was addressed by theEnglish as "King of the Indians."
After his death he was succeeded byTotopotomoi as Weroance of the Pamunkey. Necotowance was, however, the last Paramount Chief of the Powhatan confederacy. Totopotomoi's wife,Cockacoeske, who became Weroansqua after Totopotomoi's death, briefly reunited some of the tribes.
In February 1644 Opechancanough, then Paramount Chief of the Powhatan Confederacy (Tsenacommacah), made a final attempt to drive English colonists from Virginia. This was the beginning of a2+1⁄2-year period of conflict between English colonists and the Indians of Virginia, known as the Third Anglo-Powhatan War. By 1646 Opechancanough, elderly, decrepit, and in ill health, but still with a fighting spirit, had to be carried into battle on a stretcher. Determined to end the war, Governor SirWilliam Berkeley attacked Opechancanough's village, captured the old chief, and imprisoned him at Jamestown. It is believed that at the time of his capture Opechancanough had already been succeeded by Necotowance as Mamantowick of Tsenacommacah.
The origins of Necotowance are unknown, his first historical appearance was in October, 1646. After surrendering to the English, Necotowance signed a peace treaty with the General Assembly of Virginia which ended theThird Anglo-Powhatan War(1644-1646). In the Assembly he was identified as "Necotowance, king of the Indians," the successor of Opechancanough, Chief ofTsenacommacah and appears to have been the chief of all the neighboring tribes on the south as well as the north side of the river.
Shortly after the treaty was signed, Opechancanough died in prison, shot to death by one of his jailers.
There followed a 30-year period of relative peace. During this time various Acts were passed by the Assembly to benefit and protect the Indians who were often the victims of land grabs and other unscrupulous activities. In one such instance in March 1659 a law was enacted because the King of Wyanoak had been arrested by his creditors because if his debts. Necotowance is sometimes misidentified as this 'King of Wyanoak' , however, there is no evidence Necotowance was ever arrested and he is believed to have died before 1655.
Although Necotowance was successor to Opechancanough, this does not indicate he was his son. According to Dr. Helen C. Rountree (the leading researcher and writer on Virginia Indians), the Powhatans practiced matrilineal descent—Wahunsenacawh to Opitchapan to Opechancanough (all brothers of the same mother), to Catataugh to 2 living sister (unnamed) having the same mother; but, not necessarily the same father (Leaving aside adoption practices) would be the line of succession. Necotowance was likely the son of Opechancanough's sister or the son of one of his nieces. If Opechancanough followed tradition and married his niece, then it is possible that Necotowance was his son, however, there are no written records identifying exactly who the parents of Necotowance were. He is commonly identified as Pamunkey andPatawomeck Indian and son of Opechancanough and unknown.
Necotowance is believed by some to be the father of Totopotomoi.[1] Because Totopotomoi succeeded Necotowance many assume they were father and son, however, as discussed before, the tribes practice of matrilineal succession makes it is more likely that Totopotomoi was the son of the sister of Necotowance or even a younger brother.Conversely, many people also identify Necotowance as the father ofCockacoeske, who was the wife of Totopotomoi. Although there was a practice in the Powhatan ruling family for the Mamantowick to marry his niece to preserve the ruling bloodline, marriage of sister to brother was not tolerated. It is not possible that Cockacoeske and Totopotomoi were both children of Necotowance. It is believed that Cockacoeske was either a daughter or granddaughter of Opechancanough. Her marriage to Totopotomoi increases the likelihood that Totopotomoi was Necotowance's younger brother, and that they were both the son's of Opechancanough's niece or sister.
| Preceded by | Weroance of thePowhatan Confederacy 1644–1649 | Succeeded by |