Winganuske, of the Powhatan

WINGANUSKE / WINANUSKE

Winganuske was a Native American Indian woman who lived in Tsenacommacah, Pre-British Colonial Virginia, North America circa 1607 when the English first began to colonize North America. A member of one of the tribes that made up the Powhatan Confederacy.

VERY LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT WINGANUSKE, the Powhatan Indians did not keep written records, therefore, her exact date of birth, the names of her parents and the names of her children are not known. What little that is known was relayed by her brother Machumps to Englishman William Strachey between May 1610 and September 1611. Strachey served as secretary and recorder of the Governors Council of Virginia and gathered much information about the Virginia Indians and colonial life. He later published several books including "The Historie of Travaile into Virginia Britannia" which has become a main source of information on the Powhatan Indians. Strachey's knowledge came from his extensive interviews of two Indian men, Kemps and Machumps, both of whom spoke English, and personal visits to the Quiyoughcohannock and Kecoughtan tribes. Machumps relayed to Strachey the names of 12 of Powhatan's wives, said his sister Winganuske was one of Powhatan's favorite wives, and had a 'young one' fathered by him. He did not specify the sex of the young child and did not identify the child as Pocahontas. Considering the fact that he provided detailed information about Pocahontas, that she was married to a Patawomeck man in 1613 and began menstruating in 1610, it seems that if she were his niece, the daughter of Winganuske, he would have said so. But he did not identify her as Winganuske's daughter, he did not name any of his sisters children.

We can infer some additional information from what he relayed. For instance, because she was and adult in 1610, we know that she was born somewhere in the Powhatan homeland of Tsenacommacah before the arrival of English settlers in 1607. A 'young one' would probably be a child from infant to 10 years old, after 10 they would be nearing adult age. There fore Winganuske probably had this un-named child between 1600 and 1610. For her to be of childbearing years during this time period, Winganuske had to have been born herself between 1570 and 1596, but certainly not before 1560. If born in 1560, at age 40 she would be nearing the end of her childbearing years in 1600. The name of her child was never recorded so we will never know, but it would be reasonable to think that Cleopatra (reported to be born about 1602) COULD be that child. This is just speculation though and not authenticated.

Because she was born in Tsenacommacah and was living at the time of English colonization, we can surmise that she died some where in the area that became known as Virginia, but her exact death and burial information is not record. Machump did not report her death so it was sometime after 1611.

The English spelled her name as it sounded to them which resulted in several different spellings such as Winganuske and Winanuske.

There are many fanciful names and family members that are attributed to Winganuske but none of it is supported by valid sources. Names like Winganuske, Wahunsonacock, and Matoaka are authenticate and believable, but names like "Dashing Stream" "Scent Flower" or "Babbling Brook" are not believable and furthermore were never recorded as belonging to members of these tribes, I am sorry.

Some people have incorrectly identified Winganuske and Nonoma Cornstalk as the same person. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME. Shawnee Heritage IV, which is a dubious source to begin with, identifies Nonoma Cornstalk as being born in 1630. Winganuske was a wife of Powhatan, who died in 1618, so can not possibly be the woman who was supposedly born in 1630. The only validated "Cornstalk" was Chief Hokoleskwa (or Hokolesqua) who lived 1720 – 1777 in the Ohio Country.
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The Wise County Historical Society has Chief Powhatan listed as marrying Wahunsonacook but the research I have found suggests that was Powhatan's name until he was made Chief. Her name is listed as above here: dead link

From Patowmeck Tides, Vol 12, Number 1. September 15, 2009

"The head of the Federation was allowed to have as many wives as he wished, whereas the other chief of the tribes under his rule were only allowed to have a maximum of two wives. It was the common practice of the head of the Federation to take a wife and then send her away after she had given birth to her first child. The head of the Federation had one child by each wife and the wife was then free to go on with her life and marry someone else. The one exception to this practice was the “favorite” wife. There was at least one favorite wife who lived with the head of the Federation and bore him many children. She was his favorite because she was of the royal bloodline and the only way through which he could have children to inherit his rule. He would, therefore, have as many children by her as he could to create his legacy. Who, then, was the mother of Pocahontas and Cleopatra? It was the favorite wife of Chief Powhatan, Winganuske. She was known to have been his favorite wife and the mother of his then favorite daughter (Cleopatra), after Pocahontas had left his home to be married. We know the names of many of Powhatan’s wives and children by the testimony of Machumps, the brother of Winganuske. Winganuske had the royal bloodline through her mother, the eldest of the two sisters of Chief Powhatan."

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• http://www.multiwords.de/genealogy/Ja10%20Keziah%20Arroyah.html
  • Wahunsenacawh, Sachem, Chief Powatan b about 1570 m2 Winganuske, Princess; eldest of the two sisters of Chief Powatan, sister of Machumps. Children include: Cleopatra b about 1594 m uncle Opechancanough b about 1545 d 1644; Matoaka "Pocahontas", Princess (Rebecca) b about 1595 d 21 March 1617. Pocahontas, which means "Little Wanton," a playful, frolicsome little girl; m 1) Kacoum 2) John Rolfe

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Links

• http://mornstarz.blogspot.com/
• Shawnee Heritage IV  By Don Greene.  Page 168

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Birth: 1571 Virginia, USA Death: Apr., 1618 King William County Virginia, USA

Family links:

Spouse:

  Powhatan (1545 - 1618)

Children:

  Pocahontas (1595 - 1617)*

*Calculated relationship

Burial: Pamunkey Indian Reservation King William King William County Virginia, USA

Created by: R.I.P Record added: Jan 02, 2016 Find A Grave Memorial# 156651024

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Powhatan-1

Powhatan took a series of wives from each of the tribes and villages he ruled. Once a child was born the wife would be returned to her home. As soon as the child was old enough, he or she would go to live with Powhatan to be educated. Contemporary accounts say that Powhatan had "many more than one hundred" wives. [6]

While visiting Jamestown in the early 1600s, writer William Strachey asked about the wives of Powhatan, then wrote them down in the following order, using his own spelling:[7]

1. Winganuske
2. Ashetoiske
3. Amopotoiske
4. Ottopomtacke
5. Attosomiske
6. Ponnoiske
7. Appomosiscut
8. Appimmoiske
9. Ortoughnoiske
10. Oweroughwough
11. Ottermiske
12. Memeoughquiske
13. While the following wife was not named by Strachey, she was identified as mother of a known child of Powhatan: [8] [9] Oholase