The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

First published: 1855

Type of work: Poetry

Type of plot: Folklore

Time of plot: 1500s and 1600s

Locale: Southern shores of Lake Superior

Principal Characters

• Hiawatha, a hero of the Ojibway tribe
• Minnehaha (Laughing Water),, a member of the Dacotah tribe; the wife of Hiawatha
• Nokomis, the grandmother of Hiawatha and the daughter of the Moon
• Mudjekeewis, the West Wind and the father of Hiawatha
• Wenonah, daughter of Nokomis; Hiawatha’s mother, who dies in anguish at the desertion of Mudjekeewis
• Gitche Manito, the Master of Life

The Poem

Weary of the constant fighting of the people, Gitche Manito, the Master of Life, calls together all the Native American tribes to remind them of their foolish ways, to try to bring peace among them, and to smoke the peace pipe with them. Although Manito has provided fertile lands, abundant streams, and forests, the groups continue foolishly to feud, to quarrel, and to fight. The Master of Life promises to send a prophet to guide and to teach his people. Should they fail to follow the prophet’s wise counsel, however, they will surely perish. Removing some of the minerals from the quarry and breaking them into pieces, Manito molds the red stone into peace pipes. He instructs the warriors to plunge themselves into the stream, to remove the war paint from their faces, and to cleanse the bloodstains from their hands.

One evening at twilight, the beautiful Nokomis falls to the earth from the full moon. There, among the ferns and mosses, she bears a daughter: Wenonah. As Wenonah grows tall and lovely, Nokomis fears for her daughter and warns her to beware of Mudjekeewis, the West Wind. Wenonah fails to heed the warning and succumbs to Mudjekeewis’s wooing, bearing him a son, Hiawatha. Deserted by the false and faithless Mudjekeewis, Wenonah dies from grief.

Hiawatha grows up in the wigwam of Nokomis. Their home is near the shores of Gitche Gumee, by the shining Big-Sea-Water, and near the forest. From boyhood, Hiawatha masters the crafts of the hunt, of sports, and of other arts and labors. He is a master of speed and accuracy with a bow and arrow. He wears magic deerskin mittens that give him great physical power. On his feet, he wears magic moccasins that allow him to stride a mile with each step.

Angered by the story of his father’s treachery, Hiawatha vows to visit Mudjekeewis and seek revenge. Nokomis, however, warns him of Mudjekeewis’s magic and cunning; she asks Hiawatha not to go. Hiawatha does not listen. He travels to the land of the West Wind, where he fights with Mudjekeewis for three days. At last, the West Wind admits that it will be impossible for Hiawatha to kill him because Mudjekeewis is immortal. Pleased, however, with the boy’s courage, Mudjekeewis sends Hiawatha back to serve his tribe as the prophet and protector that Gitche Manito promised them.

On his long journey home to the shores of Gitche Gumee, Hiawatha stops in the land of the Dacotahs to purchase arrowheads from an old man. There, Hiawatha sees Minnehaha (Laughing Water), the arrow-maker’s lovely daughter. She captivates Hiawatha.

When Hiawatha returns to his people, he builds a wigwam in the forest and goes there to fast and pray. On the fourth day of his fast, as he lies exhausted on his couch, Hiawatha sees a young stranger standing before him. The youth has green plumes over his forehead and wears green and yellow garments. He informs Hiawatha that, to have his prayers fulfilled, they must wrestle the next day, and Hiawatha must prevail in the struggle.

In spite of his weakness, Hiawatha refuses the food that Nokomis brings him during the night. He is still able, however, to struggle bravely with the young stranger the following morning. At last, the stranger yields to Hiawatha and asks Hiawatha to strip away his green and yellow garments and the green plumes, to bury him, and to guard the grave. The stranger vows to leap again into the sunshine. Hiawatha faithfully follows the stranger’s command to bury his body. He guards the grave. Soon, he sees the green shoot of a plant, yellow silk, and finally a matured ear of corn; this crop becomes a vital food to nourish his people.

Hiawatha shapes a canoe from the birch tree. He and his strong friend Kwasind set out on the water to try to make the streams safe for the people; they clear the water of roots, sandbars, and dead trees. Later, Hiawatha rids the lake of its greatest menace: the sturgeon. After Hiawatha and Kwasind make the river safer, Nokomis asks Hiawatha to destroy Pearl-Feather (Megissogwon); this magician is responsible for fever, pestilence, and disease.

To reach Pearl-Feather, Hiawatha must first battle the dozen serpents that guard the entrance to the wizard’s domain; only then can he gain entrance. As Hiawatha approaches the serpents, he kills them with his arrows. A woodpecker instructs Hiawatha in how to overcome the magician; Hiawatha must aim his arrows at the roots of the wizard’s hair. After he conquers Megissogwon, Hiawatha rewards the woodpecker by dabbing the bird’s tuft of feathers with the magician’s blood. From then on, the woodpecker would wear this tuft of red.

When Hiawatha tells Nokomis that he intends to make Minnehaha his wife, Nokomis urges him not to marry a Dacotah but to marry a woman of their own tribe, the Ojibways. Hiawatha politely refuses her advice, however, and assures her that the marriage will unite the two tribes and encourage peace. He travels to the land of the Dacotah to retrieve his bride.

Upon the return of Minnehaha and Hiawatha, Nokomis honors the couple with a huge feast at the wedding ceremony. Hiawatha’s friend Pau-Puk-Peewis honors the couple with a dance to the sound of many instruments. Chibiabos, Hiawatha’s gentle friend, sings his famous love songs; Hiawatha’s friend Iagoo relates his fanciful tales at the celebration. Hiawatha’s people prosper in peace; their corn crops are abundant. To enable the tribes to keep a record of their history, Hiawatha invents picture writing for them.

Sadness arrives. Evil spirits attack and kill Chibiabos while he is on a hunting trip. Kwasind dies at the hands of the fairies and the pygmies. One winter, famine strikes Hiawatha’s people. Snow covers the forests and lakes so deeply that it is impossible for hunters to seek food. Hiawatha’s people are starving and dying of fever. When Minnehaha dies from fever, Hiawatha mourns her death for seven days. Finally, the warmth and fertility of spring return. Life begins anew in the earth.

Rumors begin to circulate that white men in large canoes with sails are coming. Hiawatha himself sees the white men in a vision and confirms the rumors. As a leader and peacemaker, Hiawatha urges his people to welcome the strangers. Hiawatha adds the admonishment that if the people ignore his counsel, the tribes will only destroy themselves.

As Hiawatha stands by the wigwam of Nokomis one evening, three white men approach; one of these men is a priest. Hiawatha welcomes them and invites his people to hear the stories the priest tells of the Virgin Mary and her Son. That night, as the white men lie sleeping, Hiawatha tells Nokomis that the time for him to leave has arrived. Having fulfilled his promises, he leaves to travel through the portals of the Sunset, to the Land of the Hereafter.

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