Talk:Hiawatha

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Song of Hiawatha

I created a separate page for Song of Hiawatha and moved the link to poem's text there. Hiawatha was not simply a fictional character but was an important political figure in the history of North America and should be treated as such, not simply as the subject of Longfellow's poem (or as the Disney cartoon version of him as a little Indian boy), which is really a collection of Iroquiois myths more than anything else. He is a guy.-- Decumanus 04:13, 1 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Time frame

Regarding this: Hiawatha (also known as Ayenwatha or Ha-yo-went'-ha) who lived around 1550,

Not sure what the source of that is. No one has really pinned down a date on the founding of the Confederacy, much less whether or not Hiawatha was an actual person (I think it's very probable that he was, but we just don't know about any dates). In any case I've never seen 1550 given as a possible date for the Confederacy's founding; usually it is speculated either as 1450, 1150, or "thousands of years ago" usually based on the legend that a solar eclipse took place that year. So hopefully this can either be sourced, or removed.

Iroquois Hiawatha is or is not Longfellow's Hiawatha?

Well, I'm not sure what to do. The original article stated

Hiawatha was the hero of the poem Hiawatha, published in 1855 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Longfellow's poem confounds the life stories of Hiawatha and Deganawidah.Hw was the leader of the onondagaga tribe.

However, http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/naind/html/na_015000_hiawatha.htm states flatly that "Hiawatha's name was appropriated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his 1855 poem The Song of Hiawatha. However, Longfellow's poem, set in the Great Lakes area, has almost nothing to do with the historic figure of Hiawatha."

And the external link in the article, De-Ka-Nah-Wi-Da and Hiawatha says "The Hiawatha in this story is the historic person of the late fourteenth century. He should not be confused with the character in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, The Song of Hiawatha."

Longfellow's poem is based on the legends of the Ojibway Indians, as collected by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft.

The article on The Song of Hiawatha said flatly that Longfellow's poem is about the Iroquois leader. I originally changed it to indicate that this is NOT true. Then I noticed that this page says it IS true.

So, I've resorted to weasel-wording. In The Song of Hiawatha I'm using the wording

Note: For his hero, Longfellow borrowed the name of the fourteenth-century Iroquois chief Hiawatha who founded the Iroquois League, but there is virtually no other connection between them.

And here, I've toned down the sentence that previously said

Hiawatha was the hero of the poem Song of Hiawatha, published in 1855 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Longfellow's poem confounds the life stories of Hiawatha and Deganawidah, and also draws on tales of the Algonquian trickster-figure Manabozho. The poem is also recited (in part) in Mike Oldfield's work Incantations.

to

Longfellow borrowed the name of the historical Hiawatha for the hero of his poem The Song of Hiawatha. There is little resemblance, although some see in Longfellow's poem some reference to the life stories of Hiawatha and Deganawidah, and to the Algonquian trickster-figure Manabozho. The poem is also recited (in part) in Mike Oldfield's work Incantations.

Anyone who has good evidence one way or the other.... help! Dpbsmith 01:17, 15 Apr 2004 (UTC)

P. S. Looks like there's some good stuff bearing on this at Hiawatha and the Iroquois Confederation By Horatio Hale, but I don't have time to digest it right now. Dpbsmith 01:21, 15 Apr 2004 (UTC)

P. P. S. OK, assuming that Horatio Hale (1817-1896) knew his business, there's practically no connection between the two. I've summarized what I've found out in the section Longfellow's Hiawatha vs. the historical Iroquois Hiawatha, linked to it from Hiawatha, and made the paragraph here say that there is "none or only faint" resemblance. Dpbsmith 00:43, 16 Apr 2004 (UTC)

P. P. P. S. Hmmmph. Britannica says "Hiawatha: (Ojibwa: ?He Makes Rivers?), a legendary chief (c. 1450) of the Onondaga tribe of NorthAmerican Indians, to whom Indian tradition attributes the formation of what became known as the Iroquois Confederacy. In his miraculous character, Hiawatha was the incarnation of human progress and civilization. He taught agriculture, navigation, medicine, and the arts, conquering by his magic all the powers of nature that war against man. The story of Hiawatha is told in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Song of Hiawatha (1855), a long poem, written in the metre of the Finnish Kalevala, that enjoyed wide popularity." So Britannica clearly identifies the two Hiawathas. So does the Columbia Encyclopedia: "h´wä´th) (KEY) , fl. c.1550, legendary chief of the Onondaga of North America. He is credited with founding the Iroquois Confederacy. He is the hero of the well-known poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow." Back to square one. I'm totally confused now. Was Horatio Hale out to lunch? I'm leaving both articles as is and will continue to pick away at this. Dpbsmith 12:25, 17 Apr 2004 (UTC)

P. P. P. P. S. Well, Longfellow himself cites Schoolcraft as a source for "a tradition prevalent among the North American Indians, of a personage of miraculous birth, who was sent among them to clear their rivers, forests, and fishing-grounds, and to teach them the arts of peace. He was known among different tribes by the several names of Michabou, Chiabo, Manabozo, Tarenyawagon, and Hiawatha." Longfellow's notes makes no reference to the Iroquois or the Iroquois League or to any historical personage. So I'm going to continue to hold my belief that the poem is about a mythical persona, and that the only connection with the historical Hiawatha is that Schoolcraft mistakenly confused the names. Dpbsmith 12:49, 17 Apr 2004 (UTC)

I don't think anyone is going to mind your edits. You're obviously doing a very thorough job. I realize your covering bases here, as I would on any topic involving Native Americans, since you never know what raw nerve you might hit. I wrote the original article on Hiawatha in a very cursory manner because at the time he wasn't even identified with a real person. In fact, the article was entirely about the Longfellow poem (with the wrong title), which I separated out into a separate article. But it was a very quick job. I've since learned a lot more about Schoolcraft, almost by accident, while writing articles and making about the headwaters of the Mississippi. Schoolcraft was, in my opinion, an amazing person. I doubt he took liberties with what he found, as he spoke Ojibwa after marrying a half-Ojibwa woman.

Right... Dpbsmith 00:21, 18 Apr 2004 (UTC)

He wrote a lot of a material on the Native Americans of the Great Lakes. It's more likely (purely a guess) that in the centuries between the political leader and Schoolcraft's research that a tall-tale mythology had propogated throughout the Great Lakes about the real Hiawatha, who certainly had made a name for himself.

And the Horatio Hale essay has a little bit of an edge to it... Dpbsmith 00:21, 18 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Having read some Native American myths, I can state that most of the ones I've read seem like long dream-like accretions of barely-connected substories, often with very little overarching plot, that probably got added and mutated over time with the oral tradition. The same kind of myth-expansion happened in the west, for example, about Alexander the Great, who was later supposedly fathered by the serpent god, etc. Likewise the myths of the foundation of Rome. It seems natural that such a thing would have happened with a well-known figure among the Native Americans as well. There's also that name confusion too, which is hard to pin down (All of this is just my two-cents uninformed speculation). In any case, I think it's a very interesting topic. I'm glad someone is expanding the article. I ran into the topic while reading about the Iroquois Confederation while doing research about New Netherland. -- Decumanus | Talk 13:29, 17 Apr 2004 (UTC)

I didn't intend to do anything about Hiawatha. Actually this all started because I noticed there were articles about three towns named Nokomis, but no article about Nokomis. So I tried to write a stub about Nokomis, and one thing led to another...

My own speculation is the same as your--that any confusion in Schoolcraft's work was probably present in his original sources. After all, how many people in the United States have at least some confusion between the historical George Washington and Mason Locke Weems' mythological character of the same name? I think that, having found that Longfellow's notes identify his Hiawatha with Manabozo, Tarenyawagon & co, and make no reference whatsoever to the Iroquois leader, that I'll leave things as they are—saying that there is little or no connection. But I have to admit that it threw me to find that both the Britannica and the Columbia Encyclopedia flatly state that Longfellow's Hiawatha is the Iroquois leader. Dpbsmith 00:21, 18 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Legend

This Legend of the Great Peacemaker and Hiawatha is from http://www.indians.org/welker/hiawatha.htm

After leaving his canoe on the east shore, De-ka-nah-wi-da travelled overland to another tribal settlement and asked the Chief, "Have you heard that Peace and Power have come to earth?"

"Yes, I have heard," answered the Chief. "I have been thinking about it so much that I have been unable to sleep."

De-ka-nah-wi-da then explained, "That which caused your wakefulness is now before you. Henceforth, you will be called Chief Hiawatha. You shall help me promote peace among all the tribes, so that the shedding of blood may cease among your people."

"Wait," said Hiawatha. "I will summon my people to hear you speak." All assembled quickly.

"I have brought the good tidings of Peace and Power from the Chief of the Sky Spirits to all people on earth. Bloodshed must cease in the land. The Good Spirit never intended that blood should flow between human beings."

Chief Hiawatha asked his tribe for their answer. One man asked, "What will happen to us if hostile tribes are on either side of us?"

"Those nations have already accepted the good news that I have brought them," replied De-ka-nah-wi-da. Hiawatha's tribe then also accepted the new plan of peace.

When the Messenger departed, Hiawatha walked with him for a short distance. "There is one I wish to warn you about because he may do evil to you," confided De-ka-nah-wi-da. "He is a wizard and lives high above Lake Onondaga. He causes storms to capsize boats and is a mischief-maker. I go on to the East."

Hiawatha had three daughters. The eldest became ill and died. Not long afterward, the second daughter died. All of the tribe gathered to console Hiawatha and to help him forget his great sorrow. One of the warriors suggested a game of lacrosse.

During the game, the last of Hiawatha's daughters went to the spring for water. Halfway there, she saw a beautiful high-flying bird of many bright colours. She called for the people to look at the bird. Then the huge creature swooped down toward her. In fear, she started to run back to her lodge. At the same time, the people came running to see the bird. Hiawatha's daughter was knocked down in the confusion. They did not see her and she was trampled to death.

"Has the wizard sent that bird and caused the death of my daughter?" wondered Hiawatha. Deeper in sorrow, he decided to leave his tribe and go away.

A few days later, he met De-ka-nah-wi-da, who commissioned him a Peacemaker. Henceforth, Hiawatha would spend his time going from village to village and spread the good Tidings of Peace and Power, so that the children of the future would live in peace.

The Mohawk Nation was the first to accept the peace plan, and they invited Hiawatha to make his home with them. One night De- ka-nah-wi-da appeared outside Hiawatha's sleeping room. "It is now urgent," he said softly, "that you come with me. We must go at once to another settlement. I have been there before and I promised to return."

On their way, they came to a large lake. De-ka-nah-wi-da asked Hiawatha to choose between paddling across the rough water and flying over it. Remembering the warning about the wizard, he chose to fly over the lake. De-ka-nah-wi-da used his supernatural power and turned both of them into high-flying birds.

When they reached the opposite shore, they resumed their natural bodies. Then they journeyed to the top of a very high hill to see the one chief, the great wizard, who had not yet accepted the good news of peace. Upon seeing him, Hiawatha was startled--the wizard's head was a mass of writhing snakes. His hands and feet were claw-like and twisted. He used his power to persecute others.

After a long time of discussion and gentle persuasion, Hiawatha noticed that the wizard began to smile! He exclaimed, "I do want to accept your plan of Peace and Power."

At once the wizard began to change. His hands and feet straightened. Hiawatha combed the snakes from his hair. Soon other chiefs arrived to help in the wizard's regeneration.

De-ka-nah-wi-da then asked all the chiefs and their chief warriors and assistants to meet on the shores of Lake Onondaga for a Council. Hiawatha, Chief of the Mohawks, asked the Oneida, Seneca, and Cayuga chiefs to bow their heads with him before the reformed wizard, who was the Onondaga Chief Atotarho (A-ta-tar'- ho). This was their way of showing their acceptance of him and their willingness to follow his leadership when called upon.

The Messenger stood before the Council and explained a plan for the Constitution of the Iroquois League of Peace:

"Let us now give thanks to the Great Chief of the Sky Spirits, for our power is now complete. 'Yo-Hen, Yo-Hen,"' he said, meaning praise and thanksgiving.

The Great Spirit created man, the animals, earth, and all the growing things. I appoint you, Atotarho, Chief of the Onondagas, to be Fire-Keeper of your new Confederacy Council of the Five United Iroquois Nations.

"Chief Warrior and Chief Mother will now place upon your head the horns of a buck deer, a sign of your authority.

"Hiawatha shall be the Chief Spokesman for the Council. He will be the first to consider a subject and to give his opinion. He shall then ask the Senecas, Oneidas, and the Cayugas for their opinions, in that order. If not unanimous, Atotarho's opinion will be considered next. Hiawatha shall continue the debate until a unanimous decision is reached. If not accomplished within a reasonable time, the subject shall be dropped.

"Let us now make a great white Wampum of shell beads strung on deer sinews. Each bead will signify an event and create a design of memory. We shall place it on the ground before the Fire- Keeper. Beside it we shall lay a large White Wing. With it, he can wash away any dust or spot--symbolic of destroying any evil that might cause trouble.

"We shall give the Fire-Keeper a rod to remove any creeping thing that might appear to harm the White Wampum or your grandchildren. If he should ever need help, he shall call out in his thunderous voice for the other Nations of the Confederacy to come to his aid.

"Each Chief shall organize his own tribe in the same way for the peace, happiness, and contentment of all his people. Each Chief shall sit at the head of his own Council and matters shall be referred to him for final decision.

"In the future, your Annual Confederacy Council Fire shall be held here at the Onondaga village of Chief Atotarho. It will be your Seat of Government.

"Let us now plant a symbolic tree of long leaves destined to grow tall and strong. It will represent your unity and strength. When other nations wish to accept the good Tidings of Peace and Power, they shall be seated within the Confederacy Council. Atop the tall tree will proudly sit an all-seeing eagle to watch and warn you of any danger.

"Let each Chief now bring one arrow to form a bundle of arrows. Tie them together so tightly that they cannot be bent or broken apart. Place the bundle of arrows beside the Council Fire as another symbol of your unity and strength.

"Let us join hands firmly, binding ourselves together in a circle. If a tree should fall upon the circle, your circle cannot be broken. Your people can thus be assured of your unity and peace.

"If a Council Chief should ever want to remove himself as Chief, then his Horns of Authority shall be placed upon the head of his hereditary successor.

"You Chiefs must now decide what you will do with your war weapons," said De-ka-nah-wi-da.

Hiawatha then led the thoughtful discussion of the subject. The men agreed to dig a deep chasm where there was a rushing river beneath. Into this river the chiefs and their chief warriors threw all of their armaments of war. Then they closed the chasm forever.

De-ka-nah-wi-da reconvened the Council and stated:

"I charge you never to disagree seriously among yourselves. If you do, you might cause the loss of any rights of your grandchildren, or reduce them to poverty and shame. Your skin must be seven hands thick to stand for what is right in your heart. Exercise great patience and goodwill toward each other in your deliberations. Never, never disgrace yourselves by becoming angry. Let the good Tidings of Peace and Power and righteousness be your guide in all your Council Fires. Cultivate good feelings of friendship, love, and honour for each other always.

"In the future, vacancies shall be filled from the same hereditary tribes and clans from which the first Chiefs were chosen. The Chief Mother will control the chiefship titles and appoint hereditary successors. New Chiefs shall be confirmed by the Confederacy Council before the Condolence Ceremony. At that time, the Horns of Authority shall be placed upon the head of the new Chief.

"All hunting grounds are to be in common. All tribes shall have co-equal rights within your common boundaries. I now proclaim the formation of the League of the Five Iroquois Nations completed. I leave in your hands these principles I have received from the Chief of the Sky Spirits. In the future you will have the power to add any necessary rules for the safety and well-being of the Confederacy.

"My mission is now fulfilled. May your Confederacy continue from generation to generation--as long as the sun will shine, the grass will grow, the water will run. I go to cover myself with bark. I will have no successor and no one shall be called by my name." De-ka-nah-wi-da departed from the Council Fire.

Chief Spokesman and Lawgiver Hiawatha arose before the Council and stated, "Hereafter, when opening and closing the Council Fire, the Fire-Keeper shall pick up the White Wampum strings and hold them high to honour all that has gone before. He will offer praise and thanksgiving to the Great Spirit. In Annual Council, the Chiefs will smoke the Pipe of Great Peace.

"If a chief stubbornly opposes matters of decision before the Council, displaying disrespect for his brother Chiefs, he shall be admonished by the Chief Mother to stop such behaviour and to act in harmony. If he continues to refuse, he shall be deposed.

"If a family or clan should become extinct, the Chief's title shall be given to another chosen family within his Nation, and the hereditary title will remain within that family."

All of the Chiefs of that first Council Fire agreed with Hiawatha's plan as a part of their new Constitution.

Chief Fire-Keeper Atotarho arose before the Council with his arms outstretched, holding the White Wampum strings high in praise and thanksgiving to the Holder of the Heavens. Herewith, he closed the historic first Confederacy Council Fire of the Iroquois League of Five Nations. "Yo-Hen, Yo-Hen!" he solemnly concluded, "thank you." The Five Chiefs then smoked the Pipe of Great Peace!

--Winn3317 23:34, 22 August 2007 (UTC)

Various Pictures

File:Civ 09iroquois hiawatha.gif

Female, Male, or Unknown ?

The article strangely leaves this out and left me wondering. I had thought Hiawatha was a woman. What is known ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.174.247.185 (talk) 22:53, 26 January 2008 (UTC)

I was wondering this as well. I thought Hiawatha was a woman, but the article never states his/her sex. Does anybody know? A simple pronoun replacing "Hiawatha" would probably do fine. --Welearntolive (talk) 07:16, 5 September 2008 (UTC)

Ayenwatha is certainly a man. Kielbasa1 (talk) 20:29, 6 October 2010 (UTC)

Taken from the text of the Song of Hiawatha: "There the wrinkled, old Nokomis Nursed the little Hiawatha, Rocked him in his linden cradle, Bedded soft in moss and rushes, Safely bound with reindeer sinews ; Stilled his fretful wail by saying," This article states that the Song of Hiawatha incorrectly calls him a female, but he is clearly a boy in the poem. As far as the real Hiawatha, it seems the article calls him a male now.RebeccaHanan (talk) 00:25, 23 June 2012 (UTC)

Hiawatha is a man!!!! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.44.19.185 (talk) 15:01, 14 June 2015 (UTC)

Hiawatha films

Currently this page says that a film of the same name was aborted in the 1940s. In fact a film called Hiawatha was made in 1952. I purchased a movie poster for it in Melbourne, Australia. details can be found at http://www.hwlongfellow.org/resources_filmography.shtml if someone wants to add it. tom Tomsworldtour (talk) 08:40, 6 February 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Tomsworldtour (talk • contribs) 07:44, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

" The Song of Hiawatha " and " Hiawatha " Are Not The Same

Apart from their purported shared broad ethnicity, the character from Longfellow's poem The Song of Hiawatha and the Iroquois cultural hero Hiawatha (Haiëñ'wa'tha) are two separate figures entirely, which is pointed out by the presence of the disambiguation link at the top of the article. Longfellow chose the name simply because he liked the sound of it and the feeling it evoked when the poem was read aloud, within the poem itself it's quite obvious that he was not referring to the Haudenosaunee religious/political figure. In terms of the image of the "Worlds Biggest Indian" (sic) statue in Michigan; judging by the figure's stereotypical clothing, in my opinion there's not much doubt in my mind that the reference is to Longfellow's character. His costume is definitely not Iroquoian. cheers Deconstructhis (talk) 15:57, 5 August 2008 (UTC)

Hiawatha National Forest

Can someone please provide a clear reference indicating that the National Forest was named for Hiawatha and not Longfellow's character. cheers Deconstructhis (talk) 17:03, 5 August 2008 (UTC)

Historical

This article does not tell me anything about the historical evidence that this was a real person. ike9898 (talk) 15:01, 21 April 2009 (UTC)

There is none. Hiawatha is, by definition, pre-historical. Whether he was a real person or a legendary personification of the process of Iroquois confederation is not known, and can never be known. This will become clearer when (if?) this article is updated with modern scholarly sources. —Kevin Myers 02:03, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Cannibalism, Renouncer of Cannibalism

There have been discussions of Hiawatha as a cannibal, as well as the renunciation of cannibalism as a pivotal moment in his leadership. Dr. J. N. B. Hewitt, a Smithosonian authority on the Iriquois League, explains that Hiawatha practiced cannibalism as "a matter of tribal custom" and that Hiawatha gave up the practice after becoming a disciple of Dekanawida.

Should the matter of cannibalism (whether myth or fact) appear in this article as it effects the complex literary, mythological, and historical portrayls of Hiawatha? Thelema418 (talk) 18:53, 20 May 2012 (UTC)

What's with the belt?

The article needs some more material on the nature of the belt. It just sort of jumps into a description without describing what it is. Was Hiawatha the creator of this belt? The wearer? What is the significance other than the name? Maury Markowitz (talk) 00:20, 20 April 2013 (UTC)

Craft6789 (talk) 22:33, 10 April 2016 (UTC)

External links modified

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Error in Legend

The current text for the Legend section refers to the "Requickening Ceremony". I believe that is a complete error. That is the cerermony where an outsider is adopted into a clan. What it should be is the "Condolence Ceremony". This language is part of that ceremony which is used to comfort a grieving person to get through a recent loss. I've heard this story translated in English by Haudenosaunee chief Jake Swamp in a presentation he gave. There are also numerous references to this in literature about the Haudenosaunee. Chris Komuves (talk) 20:25, 4 February 2024 (UTC)

Legend is the wrong word to use

With the Tribes and Iroquois Confederacy the word should be oral histories. Longfellow also took an oral history/story, but since he elaborated and put his own spin on it, about another Native American has become a legend.

from an Native American 76.144.195.231 (talk) 19:30, 17 March 2024 (UTC)