The widow of Totopotomoi, the Pamunkey chief, Queen Anne became the chief of the tribe following the death of her husband during a battle in which he supported the English against other Indian warriors. Due to her authoritative position, she was always called “Queen Anne” by the colonists. In 1675 she was called upon to furnish warriors to fight with the Whites during Bacon’s Rebellion; this was her first appearance in colonial history. Her appearance at the colonial Council, in which she scornfully rejected the request to furnish warriors for the Whites on the grounds that her people had been neglected for the past 20 years, in spite of their friendship to the Whites, was a dramatic confrontation between Indian and White.
It was only after strong promises of better treatment by the colonists that Queen Anne agreed to provide the needed assistance. Following the end of the Rebellion, a silver headband, or coronet, inscribed Quenn of Pamunkey was presented to her by King Charles II. Little more is heard about her following this period, beyond an appearance in 1715, when she visited the colonial authorities to request fair treatment for her people.
Source: Great North American Indians by Frederick J. Duckstander
NATIVE AMERICAN RHYMES
