Corneli(u)s Kok II (c. 1778 in Kamiesberg – 1858 in Campbell) was a leader ("captain") of the

Griqua people The Griquas are a subgroup of mixed-race heterogeneous formerly-Xiri-speaking nations in South Africa with a unique origin in the early history of the Dutch Cape Colony. Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Comm ...

in southern Africa.

Biography

Kok was the son of captain Cornelius Kok I. He settled with his father in

Griquatown Griekwastad is a country town in South Africa. It is sometimes still called Griquatown (the meaning of the town's name in Afrikaans), a name which is now considered historical. On maps from the 1840s is the town also called "Karrikamma". or calle ...

and later in Campbell. After his father's death in 1820, Kok served as captain of Campbell until his older brother

Adam Kok II Adam is the name given in Book of Genesis, Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Chris ...

returned from Griquatown. However, when Adam Kok II resigned as captain to join the Bergenaars, Cornelius Kok II resumed the title of captain again. In 1823, Cornelius Kok II, Adam Kok II,

Andries Waterboer Andries Waterboer ( – 1852) was a leader ("kaptijn") of the Griqua people. He founded the Waterboer dynasty of Griqualand West, and led to a split of the Griqua people, as the factions of the Kok and Barends dynasties migrated to the south ea ...

and Barend Barends won the Battle of

Dithakong Dithakong is a place east of Kuruman in the Northern Cape, South Africa, which had been a major destination for several of the earliest nineteenth century expeditions from the Cape to the interior of the subcontinent. In colonial literature, its ...

, as a result of which the Griqua were spared the terror of the

Mfecane The Mfecane, also known by the Sesotho names Difaqane or Lifaqane (all meaning "crushing," "scattering," "forced dispersal," or "forced migration"), was a historical period of heightened military conflict and migration associated with state fo ...

. The following year Cornelius Kok came into conflict with his brother and the Bergenaars, whom he defeated together with Waterboer near

Fauresmith Fauresmith is located 130 km south west of Bloemfontein, South Africa. The town, named after Rev Phillip Faure and Sir Harry Smith, is the second oldest town in the Free State. Fauresmith is the only town in South Africa, and one of only t ...

. However Kok's followers sided with the Bergenaars. To retain his leadership, he broke his ties with Waterboer, which then led to a new territorial conflict. Adam Kok II acted as a go-between, and a border was fixed between Waterboer's Griquatown and Cornelius Kok's Campbell. After the death of Adam Kok II, a succession battle arose between his sons: Abraham Kok, supported by Cornelius Kok II, and his nephew,

Adam Kok III Adam Kok III (16 October 1811 – 30 December 1875) was a leader of the Griqua people in South Africa. Early life The son of Adam Kok II, he was born in Griqualand West. Kok III was educated at the Philippolis Mission School after his family ...

, who was supported by Waterboer. The petty civil war was won by Adam Kok III and Cornelius Kok II was deposed as captain, but in practice little changed. Andries Waterboer died in 1852, but his son

Nicolaas Waterboer Nic(h)olaas Waterboer (c. 1819 - 17 September 1896) was a leader ("Kaptijn") of the Griqua people. He was the last fully independent Griqua Kaptijn of Griqualand West, and after it became a British colony, his rule and that of his successors was ...

continued the territorial conflicts with Kok. In 1857, with the support of his followers, the old and sick Kok handed his territory over to Adam Kok III. He died early in 1858 in Campbell.

References

Cape Colony people 1770s births 1858 deaths {{SouthAfrica-politician-stub