[From Life, etc., by Samuel Longfellow, iii. 421.]

The name of Longfellow is found in the records of Yorkshire, England, as far back as 1486, and appears under the various spellings of Langfellay, Langfellowe, Langfellow, and Longfellow. The first of the name is James Langfellay, of Otley. In 1510 Sir Peter Langfellowe is vicar of Calverley. In the neighboring towns of Ilkley, Guiseley, and Horsforth lived many Longfellows, mostly yeomen: some of them well-to-do, others a charge on the parish; some getting into the courts and fined for such offences as “cutting green wode,” or “greenhow,” or “carrying away the Lord’s wood,”—wood from the yew-trees of the lord of the manor, to which they thought they had a right for their bows. One of the name was overseer of highways, and one was churchwarden in Ilkley.

It is well established, by tradition and by documents, that the poet’s ancestors were in Horsforth. In 1625 we find Edward Longfellow (perhaps from Ilkley) purchasing “Upper House,” in Horsforth; and in 1647 he makes over his house and lands to 298 his son William. This William was a well-to-do clothier who lived in Upper House, and, besides, possessed three other houses or cottages (being taxed for “4 hearths”), with gardens, closes, crofts, etc. He had two sons, Nathan and William, and four or five daughters. William was baptized at Guiseley (the parish church of Horsforth), October 20, 1650.

The first of the name in America was this William, son of William of Horsforth. He came over, a young man, to Newbury, Massachusetts, about 1676. Soon after, he married Anne Sewall, daughter of Henry Sewall, of Newbury, and sister of Samuel Sewall, afterward the first chief justice of Massachusetts. He received from his father-in-law a farm in the parish of Byfield, on the Parker River.[109] He is spoken of as “well educated, but a little wild,” or, as another puts it, “not so much of a Puritan as some.” In 1690, as ensign of the Newbury company in the Essex regiment, he joined the ill-fated expedition of Sir William Phipps against Quebec, which on its return encountered a severe storm in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. One of the ships was wrecked on the island of Anticosti, and William Longfellow, 299 with nine of his comrades, was drowned. He left five children. The fourth of these, Stephen (1), left to shift for himself, became a blacksmith. He married Abigail, daughter of Rev. Edward Tompson, of Newbury, afterward of Marshfield. Their fifth child, Stephen (2), born in 1723, being a bright boy, was sent to Harvard College, where he took his first degree in 1742, and his second in 1745. In this latter year (after having meanwhile taught a school in York) he went to Portland in Maine (then Falmouth), to be the schoolmaster of the town.[110]

He gained the respect of the community to such a degree that he was called to fill important offices; being successively parish clerk, town clerk, register of probate, and clerk of the courts. When Portland was burned by Mowatt in 1775, his house having been destroyed, he removed to Gorham, where he resided 300 till his death, in 1790. It was said of him that he was a man of piety, integrity, and honor, and that his favorite reading was history and poetry. He had married Tabitha, daughter of Samuel Bragdon, of York. Their eldest son, Stephen (3), was born in 1750, inheriting the name and the farm; and in 1773 he married Patience Young, of York. He represented his town in the Massachusetts legislature for eight years, and his county for several years after as senator. For fourteen years (1797–1811) he was judge of the Court of Common Pleas, and is remembered as a man of sterling qualities, great integrity, and sound common-sense. His second child, Stephen (4), born in Gorham in 1776, graduated at Harvard College in 1798, studied law in Portland, and in 1801 was admitted to the Cumberland Bar, at which he soon attained and kept a distinguished position. In 1814, as a member of the Federalist party, to whose principles he was strongly attached, he was sent as a representative to the Massachusetts legislature. In 1822 he was elected representative to Congress, which office he held for one term. In 1828 he received the degree of LL. D. from Bowdoin College, of which he was a Trustee for nineteen years. In 1834 he was elected President of the Maine Historical Society. He died in 1849, highly respected for his integrity, public spirit, hospitality, and generosity. In 1804 he had married Zilpah, daughter of General Peleg Wadsworth, of Portland. Of their eight children, Henry Wadsworth was the second. He was named for his mother’s brother, a gallant young lieutenant 301 in the Navy, who on the night of September 4, 1804, gave his life before Tripoli in the war with Algiers. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born on the 27th February, 1807; graduated at Bowdoin College in 1825; in 1829 was appointed Professor of Modern Languages in the same college; was married in 1831 to Mary Storer Potter (daughter of Barrett Potter of Portland), who died in 1835; in 1836 was appointed Professor of Modern Languages and Belles-Lettres in Harvard College, which office he held till 1854. He was again married in July, 1843, to Frances Elizabeth Appleton, daughter of Nathan Appleton, of Boston. She died in 1861. Their children were Charles Appleton, Ernest Wadsworth, Frances (who died in infancy), Alice Mary, Edith, and Anne Allegra. He died on the 24th March, 1882.

II
BIBLIOGRAPHY

[This does not include detached poems or his youthful prose contributions, but begins with his first published volume.]

1830.

Elements of French Grammar. Translated from the French of C. F. L’Homond. Portland.

[Editor.] Manuel de Proverbes Dramatiques. Portland. With a long preface in French by the Editor.

[Editor.] Novelas EspaÑolas. Portland. With an original preface in Spanish.

1831.

Origin and Progress of the French Language. Article in North Am. Rev., 32. 277. April.

1832.

Defence of Poetry. North Am. Rev., 34. 56. January.

History of the Italian Language and Dialects. North Am. Rev., 35. 283. October.

Syllabus de la Grammaire Italienne. Written in French. Boston.

[Editor.] Cours de Langue FranÇaise. Boston.

[Editor.] Saggi de’ Novellieri Italiani d’Ogni Secolo: Tratti da’ piÙ celebri Scrittori, con brevi 304 Notizie intorno alla Vita di ciascheduno. Boston. With preface in Italian by the Editor.

Spanish Devotional and Moral Poetry. North Am. Rev., 34. 277. April.

1833.

Coplas de Don Jorge Manrique. A translation from the Spanish. Boston.

Spanish Language and Literature. North Am. Rev., 36. 316. April.

Old English Romances. North Am. Rev., 37. 374. October.

1835.

Outre-Mer; a Pilgrimage beyond the Sea. 2 vols. New York.

1837.

The Great Metropolis. North Am. Rev., 44. 461. April.

Hawthorne’s Twice-Told Tales. North Am. Rev., 45. 59. July.

TegnÉr’s Frithiofs Saga. North Am. Rev., 45. 149. July.

1838.

Anglo-Saxon Literature. North Am. Rev., 47. 90. July.

1839.

Hyperion; a Romance. 2 vols. New York.

Voices of the Night. Cambridge.

1840.

The French Language in England. North Am. Rev., 51. 285. October.

1841.

Ballads and other Poems. Cambridge.

1842.

Poems on Slavery. Cambridge.

1843.

The Spanish Student. A Play in Three Acts. Cambridge.

1845.

[Editor.] The Waif: a Collection of Poems. Cambridge. With Proem by the Editor.

[Editor.] The Poets and Poetry of Europe. Philadelphia.

Poems. Illustrated. Philadelphia.

1846.

Poems. Popular Edition. New York.

The Belfry of Bruges, and other Poems. Boston.

[Editor.] The Estray: a Collection of Poems. Boston. With Proem by the Editor.

1847.

Evangeline: a Tale of Acadie. Boston.

1849.

Kavanagh: a Tale. Boston.

1850.

The Seaside and the Fireside. Boston.

1851.

The Golden Legend. Boston.

1855.

The Song of Hiawatha. Boston.

1858.

The Courtship of Miles Standish. Boston.

1863.

Tales of a Wayside Inn. Boston.

1867.

Flower-de-Luce. Boston.

1868.

The New England Tragedies. Boston.

1867–70.

Dante’s Divine Comedy. A Translation. Boston.

1871.

The Divine Tragedy. Boston.

1872.

Christus: a Mystery. Boston.

Three Books of Song. Boston.

1874.

Aftermath. Boston.

1875.

The Masque of Pandora, and other Poems. Boston.

1876–79.

[Editor.] Poems of Places. 31 vols. Boston.

1878.

KÉramos, and other Poems. Boston.

1880.

Ultima Thule. Boston.

1882.

In the Harbor. Boston.

1883.

Michael Angelo. Boston.

1886.

A Complete Edition of Mr. Longfellow’s Poetical and Prose Works, in 11 volumes, with introductions and notes, was published by Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston.

III
TRANSLATIONS OF MR. LONGFELLOW’S WORKS

The following catalogue of translations of Mr. Longfellow’s works is based, of course, upon that prepared by Mr. Samuel Longfellow for the memoir of his brother. This is here, however, revised, corrected, and much enlarged, partly by the addition of later versions and partly by others gathered from European bibliographies and publishers’ lists; this work being aided by the learned guidance of Professor Wiener of Harvard University. Even with this enlargement the list is doubtless quite incomplete; so widely scattered are these translations among the periodicals and even the schoolbooks of different nations, and so much time and labor would be required to furnish an absolutely complete exhibit.

GERMAN

Longfellow’s Gedichte. Übersetzt von Carl BÖttger. Dessau: 1856.

Balladen und Lieder von H. W. Longfellow. Deutsch von A. R. Nielo. MÜnster: 1857.

Longfellow’s Gedichte. Von Friedrich Marx. Hamburg und Leipzig: 1868.

Longfellow’s Ältere und neuere Gedichte in Auswald. Deutsch von Adolf Laun. Oldenburg: 1879.

Der Spanische Student. Übersetzt Karl BÖttger. Dessau: 1854.

The Same. Von Marie HÉlÈne Le Maistre. Dresden: n. d.

The Same. Übersetzt von HÄfeli. Leipzig: n. d.

Evangeline. Aus dem Englischen. Hamburg: 1857.

The Same. Aus dem Englischen. Von P. J. Belke. Leipzig: 1854.

The Same. Mit Anmerkungen von Dr. O. Dickmann. Hamburg: n. d.

The Same. Eine ErzÄhlung aus Acadien. Von Eduard Nickles. Karlsruhe: 1862.

The Same. In deutscher Nachdichtung von P. Herlth. Bremen: 1870.

The Same. Übersetzt von Frank Siller. Milwaukee: 1879.

The Same. Übersetzt von Karl Knortz. Leipzig: n. d.

Longfellow’s Evangeline. Deutsch von Heinrich Viehoff. Trier: 1869.

Die Goldene Legende. Deutsch von Karl Keck. Wien: 1859. Also Leipzig, 1860.

The Same. Übersetzt von Elise Freifrau von Hohenhausen. Leipzig: 1880.

Das Lied von Hiawatha. Deutsch von Adolph BÖttger. Leipzig: 1856.

The Same. Übersetzt von A. und K. Leitz. Hannover: 1859.

Der Sang von Hiawatha. Übersetzt von Ferdinand Freiligrath. Stuttgart und Augsburg: 1857.

Hiawatha. Übertragen von Hermann Simon. Leipzig: n. d.

Der Sang von Hiawatha. Übersetzt, eingeleitet und erklÄrt von Karl Knortz. Jena: 1872.

Miles Standish’s Brautwerbung. Aus dem Englischen von F. E. Baumgarten. St. Louis: 1859.

Die Brautwerbung des Miles Standish. Übersetzt von Karl Knortz. Leipzig: 18--.

Miles Standish’s Brautwerbung. Übersetzt von F. Manefeld. 1867.

Die Sage von KÖnig Olaf. Übersetzt von Ernst Rauscher.

The Same. Übersetzt von W. Hertzberg.

Gedichte von H. W. L. Deutsch von Alexander Neidhardt. Darmstadt: 1856.

Hyperion. Deutsch von Adolph BÖttger. Leipzig: 1856.

Pandora. Übersetzt von Isabella Schuchardt. Hamburg: 1878.

Morituri Salutamus. Übersetzt von Dr. Ernst Schmidt. Chicago: 1878.

The Hanging of the Crane. Das KesselhÄngen. Übersetzt von G. A. ZÜndt: n. d.

The Same. EinhÄngen des Kesselhakens, frei bearbeitet von Joh. Henry Becker: n. d.

SÄmmtliche Poetische Werke von H. W. L. Übersetzt von Hermann Simon. Leipzig: n. d.

Longfellow’s Tales of a Wayside Inn und ihre Quellen, etc. Varnhagen: 1884.

DUTCH

Evangeline. Een verhaal van Arcadie, d. S. J. van den Bergh en B. Ph. de Kanter. Haarlem: 1856.

Outre Mer en Kavanagh. Haar het Engelisch, B. T. L. Weddik. Amsterdam: 1858.

Het Lied van Hiawatha. In het Nederduitsch overgebragt door L. S. P. Meijboom. Amsterdam: 1862.

Miles Standish. Nagezongen door S. J. Van den Bergh. Haarlem: 1861.

The Same. Perpetua. Oorspronkelijk dichtstuck, en Miles Standish naverteld; door C. S. A. van Scheltema. Amsterdam: 1859.

Longfellow’s Gedighten. Nagezongen door S. J. Van den Bergh. Haarlem: 1861.

An Anthology. A. J. ten Brink, H. W. Longfellow. Bloemlezing en waardeering. Beverw. 1872.

J. J. L. ten Kate en A. Bechger’s Longfellow. Met een tal van Longfellow’s gedichten. Culemb. 1883.

De Smid van het dorp. Door Fiore della Neve. Amsterdam: 1884.

[Mr. Longfellow speaks in a letter, dated September 26, 1881, of having “received from Holland translations in Dutch of Outre-Mer, Kavanagh and Hyperion;” but I have found no other trace of such a translation of Hyperion. T. W. H.]

SWEDISH

Hyperion. PÅ Svenska, af J. W. GrÖnlund. 1853.

Evangeline: en saga om kÄrlek i Acadien. PÅ Svenska, af Alb. Lysander. 1854.

The Same. Öfversatt af Hjalmar Edgren. GÖteborg: 1875.

The Same. Öfversatt af Philip Svenson. Chicago: 1875.

Hiawatha. PÅ Svenska af A. G. Vestberg. 1856.

The Poets and Poetry of Europe. ÖfversÄttning [af A. G. Vestberg]. 1859.

Valda Dikter [selected poems]. Tolkade af Hjalmar Edgren. GÖteb. 1892.

DANISH

Evangeline. Paa Norsk, ved H. C. Knutsen. Christiania: 1874.

The Same. (et Digt.) bearb. af B. S.

Sangen om Hiawatha. Oversat af G. Bern. KjÖbenhavn: 1860.

Den Gyldne Legende, ved Thor Lange. KjÖbenhavn: 1880; also 1891.

Fire Digte. [four poems]. Overs. fra Engelsk. 1891.

Prosavaerker. Paa Dansk ved E. M. Thorson.

FRENCH

Evangeline; suivie des Voix de la Nuit. Par le Chevalier de Chatelain. Jersey, London, Paris, New York: 1856.

The Same. Conte d’Acadie. Traduit par Charles Brunel. Prose. Paris: 1864.

The Same. Par LÉon Pamphile Le May. QuÉbec: 1865. Also Quebec, 1870.

The Same. Adaptation [in prose] par A. Dubois, avec une notice sur Longfellow. Limoges: 1889.

La LÉgende DorÉe, et PoËmes sur l’Esclavage. 313 Traduits par Paul Blier et Edward Mac-Donnel. Prose. Paris et Valenciennes: 1854.

Hiawatha. Traduction avec notes par M. H. Gomont. Nancy, Paris: 1860.

Drames et PoÉsies. Traduits par X. Marmier. (The New England Tragedies.) Paris: 1872.

Hyperion et Kavanagh. Traduit de l’Anglais, et prÉcÉdÉ d’une Notice sur l’Auteur. 2 vols. Paris et Bruxelles: 1860.

The Psalm of Life, and other Poems. Tr. by Lucien de la Rive in Essais de Traduction PoÉtique. Paris: 1870.

ITALIAN

Alcune Poesie di Enrico W. Longfellow. Traduzione dall’Inglese di Angelo Messedaglia. Padova: 1866. Also Torino, 1878.

Lo Studente Spagnuolo. Prima Versione Metrica di Alessandro Bazzini. Milano: 1871.

The Same. Traduzione di Nazzareno Trovanelli. Firenze: 1876.

Poesie sulla SchiavitÙ. Tr. in Versi Italiani da Louisa Grace Bartolini. Firenze: 1860. [Other poems by Longfellow translated by the same lady were included in her volume entitled Baron Macaulay. Canti di Roma Antica, 1869.]

Evangelina. Tradotta da Pietro Rotondi. Firenze: 1856.

The Same. Traduzione di Carlo Faccioli. Verona: 1873.

La Leggenda d’Oro. Tradotta da Ada Corbellini Martini. Parma: 1867.

Il Canto d’Hiawatha. Tr. da L. G. Bartolini. Frammenti. Firenze: 1867.

Miles Standish. Traduzione dall’Inglese di Caterino Frattini. Padova: 1868.

Liriche e Novelle. Tradotte da C. Faccioli. Firenze: 1890.

Uccelletti di Passo. [Birds of Passage.] Dall’Inglese di H. W. Longfellow. Rovigo: 1875.

Excelsior. Traduzione dall’Inglese. A. Tebaldi.

PORTUGUESE

El Rei Roberto de Sicilia. Tr. by Dom Pedro II., Emperor of Brazil. Autograph MS.

Evangelina. Traduzida por Franklin Doria. Rio de Janeiro: 1874.

The Same. Poema de Henrique Longfellow. Traduzido por Miguel Street de Arriaga. Lisbon: n. d.

SPANISH

Evangelina. Romance de la Acadia. Traducido del Ingles por Carlos MÓrla VicuÑa. Nueva York: 1871.

The Same. TraducciÓn de D. Alvaro L. NÚÑez. Barcelona. TipolitografÍa del Comercio. 1895.

POLISH

Ewangelina. Przelozona na jezyk Polski przez. A. Ch. [A. Chodzko?] Poznan. 1851.

Zlota Legenda. The Golden Legend. Tr. into Polish by F. Jezierski . Warszawa: 1857.

Ewangelina. Tr. into Polish by Felix Jezierski. Warszawa: 1857.

Duma o Hiawacie [The Song of Hiawatha.] Tr. into Polish by Felix Jezierski. Warszawa: 1860.

Excelsior, z Longfellowa przelozyl. El ... y (in Pamietnik str. 87–88).

BOHEMIAN

PÍsen o Hiavate. Preloil J. V. SlÁdek. 1882.

EvangelÍna. Povidka AkadskÁ. Preloil P. Sobotka. 1877.

HUNGARIAN

Hiavata. Forditotta TamÁsfi Gy. 1885.

Az Arany Legenda. Forditotta JÁnosi GusztÁv. 1886.

RUSSIAN

Poem of Hiawatha. Moscow, 1878.

Excelsior, and Other Poems. St. Petersburg: n. d.

OTHER LANGUAGES

Hiawatha, rendered into Latin, with abridgment. By Francis William Newman. London: 1862.

Excelsior. Tr. into Hebrew by Henry Gersoni. n. d.

A Psalm of Life. In Marathi. By Mrs. H. I. Bruce. Satara: 1878.

The Same. In Chinese. By Jung Tagen. Written on a fan.

The Same. In Sanscrit. By Elihu Burritt and his pupils. MS.

Judas MaccabÆus, a prose translation in Judea-German. Odessa, 1882.

[The above list does not include reprints of Longfellow in the English language published in foreign countries; as, for instance, Evangeline published in Sweden in the Little English Library; Poems and fragments selected by Urda, published at Amsterdam, Holland, and various editions of Hyperion and other works in German editions, as mentioned in the introduction to this book.]

IV
A VISIT TO HIAWATHA’S PEOPLE

The following narrative of the reception given to the Longfellow family by the Ojibway Indians was prepared by Miss Alice M. Longfellow for the Riverside Literature Series, and is used by permission.

When the idea of writing an Indian poem began first to take form in Mr. Longfellow’s mind, he followed the adventures of Manabozho (a mythical character, whose exploits figure largely in all Ojibway legends) and gave his name to the poem; but feeling the need of some expression of the finer and nobler side of the Indian nature, he blended the supernatural deeds of the crafty sprite with the wise, noble spirit of the Iroquois national hero, and formed the character of Hiawatha.

317

Early in the last century the scattered bands of the Ojibways who had their home near Lake Superior and Lake Huron, with their principal village at Garden River in Algoma, not far from Sault Ste. Marie, were ruled over by Chief Shingwauk, a ruler of force and character. He held the remnants of the tribe together, cherished their national pride, and laid great stress on the importance of preserving the national legendary history. He imbued his son Bukwujjinini with the same feeling, and carefully instructed him in all the legendary lore of his people. Bukwujjinini became thus well versed in these legends, and it was from him that Mr. Schoolcraft, who had married an Indian woman, received them, turning them into English and printing them in his great work on the Indians.

The old chief was a fine specimen of the aboriginal red man, dignified, wise, and thoughtful, and deeply beloved by his people. He selected his nephew, George Kabaoosa—or Daguagonay—as his successor in continuing the legendary history of his people, constantly repeating to him all he had heard from his father, and this Kabaoosa is now engaged in writing out all these legends to preserve them for posterity. In addition to his knowledge of these tales from his uncle’s lips, Kabaoosa had heard the poem of “Hiawatha” read by his Sunday-school teacher in his youth.

In the winter of 1900 a band of Ojibway Indians was formed to illustrate Indian life at the Sportsmen’s Show in Boston. Among them was the old chief 318 Bukwujjinini, and one of the inducements he had to take the journey was the hope of visiting the home of the writer who had cared enough for the legends of his people to turn them into poetry. But this could not be, for the old man, who was over ninety, fell ill, and died on the very day the Indians were to set forth, and they took their journey without their father, and with genuine sorrow in their hearts.

For some time the Canadian gentleman who arranged the expedition had been cherishing the idea of training the Indians to perform scenes from “Hiawatha” in the forest on the shores of the “big sea water.” Kabaoosa readily fell in with this scheme, and after the visit of the Indians to Mr. Longfellow’s home in Cambridge the plan rapidly matured, and a formal invitation was sent to Mr. Longfellow’s family to be present at the representation as guests of the Indians. The invitation was written on birch bark, in Ojibway, and was as follows:—

Ladies: We loved your father. The memory of our people will never die as long as your father’s song lives, and that will live forever.

Will you and your husbands and Miss Longfellow come and see us and stay in our royal wigwams on an island in Hiawatha’s playground, in the land of the Ojibways? We want you to see us live over again the life of Hiawatha in his own country.

Kabaoosa.
Wabunosa.

Boston, Onahbaunegises, The month of crusts on the snow.

319

The invitation was cordially accepted, and in August the party of guests, twelve in all, left the train at Desbarats on the north shore of Lake Huron; there they were met by the Indians in full costume, and in sailboat and canoes they set forth for the little rocky island, which had been prepared for them. There was a square stone lodge on the highest part of the island, most picturesquely finished inside and out, with the flag of England floating above it. Surrounding this were several tepees of tanned hide and stained canvas, and nearer the shore two little groups of tents, where two Indian families lived, who cooked and served, sailed the boats, entertained their guests with songs, dancing, and story-telling, doing all with a quiet dignity, ease of manner, and genuine kindliness that removed every difficulty.

The play of “Hiawatha” was performed on a rocky, thickly wooded point about two miles away. Near the shore a platform was built around a tall pine-tree, and grouped around this were tepees and wigwams forming the Indian village. Behind this the ground sloped gradually upward, forming a natural amphitheatre.

As a prelude to the play a large pile of brushwood was lighted.

“And the smoke rose slowly, slowly,

As a signal to the Nations.”

Down the hillsides rushed the braves in war-paint and feathers,—

“Wildly glaring at each other,

In their hearts the feuds of ages.

320

Then upon the ground the warriors

Threw their weapons and their war-gear,

Leaped into the rushing river,

Washed the war-paint from their faces,

And in silence all the warriors

Broke the red stone of the quarry,

Smoothed and formed it into Peace-Pipes.”

Then appeared old Nokomis leading by the hand the youthful Hiawatha, and taught him how to shoot the bow and arrow, while the warriors stood around watching and applauding when he hit the mark.

The third scene was the journey of Hiawatha in his manhood after his battle with Mudjekeewis, a picturesque figure striding through the woods flecked with sunshine and shadow.

“Only once his pace he slackened,

Paused to purchase heads of arrows

Of the ancient arrow-maker.”

The wigwam of the ancient arrow-maker was placed far from the rest in the shade of the trees, to give an idea of distance. The arrow-maker himself, a very old man, sat by the entrance, cutting arrowheads; his daughter, a modest Indian maiden, stood beside him with downcast eyes, while the stranger paused to talk with her father.

This scene was followed by the return of Hiawatha to the land of the Dakotahs. Again the old man sat in the doorway, and by him was Minnehaha, “plaiting mats of flags and rushes.”

“Then uprose the Laughing Water,

Laid aside her mat unfinished,

321

Brought forth food, and set before them,

Gave them drink in bowls of bass wood.”

She stood modestly on one side while Hiawatha urged his suit, and then putting her hand in his, she followed him home through the forest.

Then came the wedding dances, full of life and spirit, the figures moving always round and round in a circle, with a swaying motion, the feet scarcely lifted from the ground. Under the pine-tree, tall and erect, with head and eyes uplifted, stood the musician, chanting his songs with a strange rhythmical cadence, and accompanying them on the flat Indian drum.

The old Nokomis in one corner guarded with a war-club a group of maidens who were dancing all the while, and the braves circling round slyly stole one maiden after another, until Nokomis was left alone. Then followed the caribou dance, the dancers with arms uplifted like horns, knocking and striking one another; the bear dance, with its clumsy, heavy motion; and the snake dance, where the dancers wound and twisted in and out, round and round; and always the singer continued his rhythmic chant.

Last came the gambling dance, the favorite with the actors. A mat of rushes was placed on the ground, and on each side kneeled the contestants. At the back stood the old singer, drumming and chanting advice to the players. On each side were grouped the women watching the game, their bodies swaying in time to the music, while the players grew more and more excited, arms, heads, bodies all moving 322 in perfect rhythm, calling out and shouting as one by one pouches, knives, belts, etc., were passed to the winning side. One side hid a small metal counter under one of two moccasins, while the other side tried to find it.

This game was interrupted by a sudden shout, and across the water was seen approaching a canoe, and seated in it the missionary, “the black robe chief, the prophet.” On the shore he was graciously received by Hiawatha, and led to a wigwam for refreshment and repose. Then he addressed the attentive tribes in Ojibway,—

“Told his message to the people,

Told the purport of his mission.”

Thereupon Hiawatha arose, greeting the missionary, took farewell of all his people, and—

“On the clear and luminous water

Launched his birch canoe for sailing.”

With hands uplifted he glided slowly out upon the lake, floating steadily onward across the rippling water toward the setting sun.

“And the people from the margin

Watched him floating, rising, sinking,

Till the birch canoe seemed lifted

High into that sea of splendor.

And they said, ‘Farewell, forever!’

Said, ‘Farewell, O Hiawatha.’”

A beautiful ending to a most unique and interesting drama of the forest, with the broad stretch of the lake in front, and the forest trees closing in the scene.

After this followed an evening of songs and dancing, 323 addresses of welcome in Ojibway to the paleface strangers, and then the return of the guests to the little island, quietly sailing in the starlight, while the Indians sang their favorite hymns in the strange Ojibway tongue. The next day being Sunday, all the Indians gathered on the island, where a church was improvised, and a simple service was held in their native tongue by the English clergyman from Garden River, who had impersonated the missionary in the play.

After the service an old man arose, welcoming the strangers, because their father had written in poetry the legends of his people, and with pride produced a large silver medal given to his ancestors by King George III. as a pledge that their rights should be respected. “And,” he said, “he told us that as long as the sun shone the Indians should be happy, but I see the sun still shining, and I do not think Indians always happy. But the medal he told us always to wear when with persons of distinction;” and with great dignity the old man slipped the medal with its broad blue ribbon around his neck, looking proud and happy.

The party of strangers made a visit to Garden River, the home of the Indians for many generations, where they were most hospitably received; the old chief’s house was opened for them, and all his treasures displayed.

A few days before the end of the visit, the Indians were very busy building a small platform on the island, and decorating it with green boughs, doing 324 everything with much secrecy. After sunset, when the fire was lighted on the rocks near by, the Indians assembled together, and Kabaoosa as the spokesman announced that they wished to have the pleasure of taking some of the party into the tribe as members. First came the ladies, as their father had turned the Ojibway legends into verse. They were led in turn before Kabaoosa, who took one of their hands in his, and made a spirited discourse in Ojibway. Then striking them three times on the shoulder, he called aloud the Indian name of adoption, and all the bystanders repeated it together. Then the new member of the tribe was led around the circle, and each Indian came forward, grasping the stranger by the hand, and calling aloud the new name. The names, which were valued names in the tribe, were all chosen with care, and given as proofs of high regard; the men of the party were honored as well as the women.

Odenewasenoquay, The first flash of the lightning [Miss Longfellow]; Osahgahgushkodawaquay, The lady of the open plains [Mrs. J. G. Thorp]; Daguagonay, The man whom people like to camp near [J. G. Thorp, Esq.]; and the names of the old chiefs Shingwauk, or Sagagewayosay [Richard Henry Dana], and Bukwujjinini [Henry W. L. Dana].

The ceremonies were followed by much singing and dancing, of which the Indians never tire, and the following day came the farewells,—farewells to the broad, beautiful lake, the islands, the sweet fragrance of the forest, and the kind and devoted hosts. With many regrets the party turned their faces eastward, 325 while the Indians accompanied their farewells with a parting dance.

“And they said, ‘Farewell forever!’

Said, ‘Farewell, O Hiawatha.’”

Alice M. Longfellow.

Cambridge, April 6, 1901.