The Song of Hiawatha

In his canoe, Hiawatha sets out to catch Nahma, king of all fishes. He calls Nahma to come, but Nahma instead sends the pike to break Hiawatha’s fishing line. When Hiawatha sees the pike, he shouts at him and sends the fish away in shame. Hiawatha calls Nahma again, but Nahma sends the sunfish. Hiawatha sees the sunfish, gets angry, and sends him away too. Finally, Nahma rises up out of the water and devours Hiawatha and his canoe. Inside the fish’s belly, Hiawatha sees Nahma’s heart and beats it with his fist. Once Nahma is dead, Hiawatha calls on gulls to eat its flesh so he can escape. After the life-saving seagulls have had their fill, Nokomis makes fish oil from the remains until only Nahma’s skeleton remains on the shore.

Nokomis tells Hiawatha about a fearsome magician, Pearl-Feather, who lives in the west in a home guarded by snakes. The magician killed Nokomis’ father and now sends sicknesses to their people. She encourages Hiawatha to challenge him, so he takes his canoe and goes to the home of Pearl-Feather, where he slays the snakes and makes his way through the black water to challenge the magician to a fight. They fight all day. At one point, Hiawatha fears Pearl-Feather is too strong for him, but then a woodpecker tells Hiawatha of a weak spot on Pearl-Feather’s head. As the magician bends to pick up a stone, Hiawatha shoots Pearl-Feather three times with his arrows. Hiawatha rewards the woodpecker by anointing it with the dead magician’s blood and takes the magician’s treasures home for his people, who hold a great feast in Hiawatha’s honor.

Hiawatha dreams of the Dakota maiden Minnehaha. Nokomis cautions him against taking a bride from another tribe, for the Dakota and the Ojibwe have often been at war, but Hiawatha argues that his union will bring peace. He goes to the arrow maker, and on his way he slays a deer to bring as a gift. The arrow maker and his daughter sit together, dreaming of the past and the future. Minnehaha remembers Hiawatha and wonders if he will ever return. When Hiawatha arrives and joins them for a meal, he tells the arrow maker about his home, family, and friends, and asks for Minnehaha’s hand. The arrow maker and his daughter both agree. They travel together towards Hiawatha’s home while the animals, the sun, and the moon look on.

Hiawatha and Minnehaha marry and throw a great feast for all their family and friends. Nokomis prepares the meal, while Hiawatha and Minnehaha take care of everyone. After they eat, Nokomis calls on Pau-Puk-Keewis, a handsome man disliked by warriors and loved by women, to honor them with the Dance of Beggars. After Chibiabos performs love songs to great applause, Iagoo, the great boaster who is constantly telling inflated tales of his own adventures, grows jealous of Chibiabos, so he stands to tell the crowd a story.

Iagoo tells a story about Osseo and his father, the Evening Star.

Once there was a hunter with ten beautiful daughters. They all married handsome men except for the youngest and most beautiful, Oweenee, who married an ugly old man named Osseo. Once as they were all walking together, they came upon a hollow tree felled by a storm and Osseo leapt into it. When he came out he was young and handsome, but all his age and ugliness had transferred to Oweenee. Even though her sisters laughed at her, Osseo stayed by her side. At a feast, Osseo’s father sent him a message saying that tasting the blessed food before him would change everything to silver and turn the spiteful sisters to birds. Osseo ate, and at this, the sisters and their husbands transformed, while Oweenee became beautiful again. Osseo and Oweenee had a son. After Osseo made him bows and arrows, the boy unknowingly shot one of the birds. As it died, it became a woman again. All of the other charms broke, and the sisters and their husbands became Puk-Wudjies, or Little People.

As he finishes the story, Iagoo warns the audience of the dangers of careless teasing. Then Chibiabos sings for them, and the party closes.