The Story of Hiawatha, Adapted from LongfellowLongfellow, Henry Wadsworth
General
The Story of Hiawatha, Adapted from Longfellow
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth
Hiawatha, active 15th century -- Poetry; Indians of North America -- Poetry; Iroquois Indians -- Kings and rulers -- Poetry
Then the dead man floated to the shore, climbed out upon the bank and
made his way swiftly and silently through the forest to the doorway of
the wigwam where the medicine-men were singing. When he shook the
curtain of the doorway and peered in upon them they would not let him
enter, but gave him through an opening in the door a burning torch and
told him to light a fire in the land of spirits, so that all who died
might see it and find their way thither; and they made Chibiabos ruler
in the Kingdom of the Dead. He left the doorway of the wigwam and
vanished in the forest, and the wise men watched the twinkling of his
torch until it disappeared. They saw that the branches did not move as
he passed, and that the dead leaves and the grass did not even bend or
rustle beneath his footsteps, and they looked at one another much
afraid, because such sights are not good for living men to see.
Four days Chibiabos traveled down the pathway of the dead, and for his
food he ate the dead man's strawberry. He saw many other dead men
struggling under heavy burdens of food and skins and wampum that their
friends had given them to use in the Land of Spirits, and they groaned
beneath their burdens. He passed them all, crossed the sad, dark River
of Death upon the swinging log that floats there; and at last he came to
the Lake of Silver, and was carried in the Stone Canoe over the water to
the Islands of the Blessed, where he rules all ghosts and shadows.
When he had disappeared in the dark forest, Hiawatha left the Sacred
Lodge and wandered eastward and westward teaching men the use of roots
and herbs and the cure of all disorders; and thus was first made known
to the Indians the sacred knowledge of caring for the sick.
XVI
PAU-PUK-KEEWIS
YOU remember how Pau-Puk-Keewis danced the Beggar's Dance at Hiawatha's
wedding, and how, in his wild leaping and whirling at the edges of the
Big-Sea-Water, he tossed up the mighty sand dunes of the Nagow Wudjoo.
And you remember also, how the warriors all disliked Pau-Puk-Keewis,
and called him an idler and coward, for they knew his heart was bad
within him. Only the women cared for Pau-Puk-Keewis, and the women were
deceived by his handsome face and his costly dresses.
One morning Pau-Puk-Keewis came in search of adventures to the village,
and found all the young men gathered in the wigwam of Iagoo, listening
to the wonderful stories that old Iagoo always told when any one would
hear him. He was telling how Ojeeg, the Summer-Maker, climbed up to the
sky and made a hole in Heaven that let out all the warm and pleasant
weather of the summer months. He was describing how the Otter tried it
first, and how the Beaver and the Lynx and Badger also tried it, all of
them climbing to the top of the highest mountain and hitting their heads
against the sky.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account