HIAWATHA'S WEDDING-FEAST by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
This is the wedding celebration of Hiawatha and Laughing Water, shared through the performances of three guests: Pau-Puk-Keewis dazzles with a wild, whirling dance; Chibiabos serenades the newlyweds with a beautiful love song; and Iagoo, the legendary braggart, is invited to share a tale of wonder.
The poem
You shall hear how Pau-Puk-Keewis, How the handsome Yenadizze Danced at Hiawatha's wedding; How the gentle Chibiabos, He the sweetest of musicians, Sang his songs of love and longing; How Iagoo, the great boaster, He the marvellous story-teller, Told his tales of strange adventure, That the feast might be more joyous, That the time might pass more gayly, And the guests be more contented. Sumptuous was the feast Nokomis Made at Hiawatha's wedding; All the bowls were made of bass-wood, White and polished very smoothly, All the spoons of horn of bison, Black and polished very smoothly. She had sent through all the village Messengers with wands of willow, As a sign of invitation, As a token of the feasting; And the wedding guests assembled, Clad in all their richest raiment, Robes of fur and belts of wampum, Splendid with their paint and plumage, Beautiful with beads and tassels. First they ate the sturgeon, Nahma, And the pike, the Maskenozha, Caught and cooked by old Nokomis; Then on pemican they feasted, Pemican and buffalo marrow, Haunch of deer and hump of bison, Yellow cakes of the Mondamin, And the wild rice of the river. But the gracious Hiawatha, And the lovely Laughing Water, And the careful old Nokomis, Tasted not the food before them, Only waited on the others Only served their guests in silence. And when all the guests had finished, Old Nokomis, brisk and busy, From an ample pouch of otter, Filled the red-stone pipes for smoking With tobacco from the South-land, Mixed with bark of the red willow, And with herbs and leaves of fragrance. Then she said, "O Pau-Puk-Keewis, Dance for us your merry dances, Dance the Beggar's Dance to please us, That the feast may be more joyous, That the time may pass more gayly, And our guests be more contented!" Then the handsome Pau-Puk-Keewis, He the idle Yenadizze, He the merry mischief-maker, Whom the people called the Storm-Fool, Rose among the guests assembled. Skilled was he in sports and pastimes, In the merry dance of snow-shoes, In the play of quoits and ball-play; Skilled was he in games of hazard, In all games of skill and hazard, Pugasaing, the Bowl and Counters, Kuntassoo, the Game of Plum-stones. Though the warriors called him Faint-Heart, Called him coward, Shaugodaya, Idler, gambler, Yenadizze, Little heeded he their jesting, Little cared he for their insults, For the women and the maidens Loved the handsome Pau-Puk-Keewis. He was dressed in shirt of doeskin, White and soft, and fringed with ermine, All inwrought with beads of wampum; He was dressed in deer-skin leggings, Fringed with hedgehog quills and ermine, And in moccasins of buck-skin, Thick with quills and beads embroidered. On his head were plumes of swan's down, On his heels were tails of foxes, In one hand a fan of feathers, And a pipe was in the other. Barred with streaks of red and yellow, Streaks of blue and bright vermilion, Shone the face of Pau-Puk-Keewis. From his forehead fell his tresses, Smooth, and parted like a woman's, Shining bright with oil, and plaited, Hung with braids of scented grasses, As among the guests assembled, To the sound of flutes and singing, To the sound of drums and voices, Rose the handsome Pau-Puk-Keewis, And began his mystic dances. First he danced a solemn measure, Very slow in step and gesture, In and out among the pine-trees, Through the shadows and the sunshine, Treading softly like a panther. Then more swiftly and still swifter, Whirling, spinning round in circles, Leaping o'er the guests assembled, Eddying round and round the wigwam, Till the leaves went whirling with him, Till the dust and wind together Swept in eddies round about him. Then along the sandy margin Of the lake, the Big-Sea-Water, On he sped with frenzied gestures, Stamped upon the sand, and tossed it Wildly in the air around him; Till the wind became a whirlwind, Till the sand was blown and sifted Like great snowdrifts o'er the landscape, Heaping all the shores with Sand Dunes, Sand Hills of the Nagow Wudjoo! Thus the merry Pau-Puk-Keewis Danced his Beggar's Dance to please them, And, returning, sat down laughing There among the guests assembled, Sat and fanned himself serenely With his fan of turkey-feathers. Then they said to Chibiabos, To the friend of Hiawatha, To the sweetest of all singers, To the best of all musicians, "Sing to us, O Chibiabos! Songs of love and songs of longing, That the feast may be more joyous, That the time may pass more gayly, And our guests be more contented!" And the gentle Chibiabos Sang in accents sweet and tender, Sang in tones of deep emotion, Songs of love and songs of longing; Looking still at Hiawatha, Looking at fair Laughing Water, Sang he softly, sang in this wise: "Onaway! Awake, beloved! Thou the wild-flower of the forest! Thou the wild-bird of the prairie! Thou with eyes so soft and fawn-like! "If thou only lookest at me, I am happy, I am happy, As the lilies of the prairie, When they feel the dew upon them! "Sweet thy breath is as the fragrance Of the wild-flowers in the morning, As their fragrance is at evening, In the Moon when leaves are falling. "Does not all the blood within me Leap to meet thee, leap to meet thee, As the springs to meet the sunshine, In the Moon when nights are brightest? "Onaway! my heart sings to thee, Sings with joy when thou art near me, As the sighing, singing branches In the pleasant Moon of Strawberries! "When thou art not pleased, beloved, Then my heart is sad and darkened, As the shining river darkens When the clouds drop shadows on it! "When thou smilest, my beloved, Then my troubled heart is brightened, As in sunshine gleam the ripples That the cold wind makes in rivers. "Smiles the earth, and smile the waters, Smile the cloudless skies above us, But I lose the way of smiling When thou art no longer near me! "I myself, myself! behold me! Blood of my beating heart, behold me! Oh awake, awake, beloved! Onaway! awake, beloved!" Thus the gentle Chibiabos Sang his song of love and longing; And Iagoo, the great boaster, He the marvellous story-teller, He the friend of old Nokomis, Jealous of the sweet musician, Jealous of the applause they gave him, Saw in all the eyes around him, Saw in all their looks and gestures, That the wedding guests assembled Longed to hear his pleasant stories, His immeasurable falsehoods. Very boastful was Iagoo; Never heard he an adventure But himself had met a greater; Never any deed of daring But himself had done a bolder; Never any marvellous story But himself could tell a stranger. Would you listen to his boasting, Would you only give him credence, No one ever shot an arrow Half so far and high as he had; Ever caught so many fishes, Ever killed so many reindeer, Ever trapped so many beaver! None could run so fast as he could, None could dive so deep as he could, None could swim so far as he could; None had made so many journeys, None had seen so many wonders, As this wonderful Iagoo, As this marvellous story-teller! Thus his name became a by-word And a jest among the people; And whene'er a boastful hunter Praised his own address too highly, Or a warrior, home returning, Talked too much of his achievements, All his hearers cried, "Iagoo! Here's Iagoo come among us!" He it was who carved the cradle Of the little Hiawatha, Carved its framework out of linden, Bound it strong with reindeer sinews; He it was who taught him later How to make his bows and arrows, How to make the bows of ash-tree, And the arrows of the oak-tree. So among the guests assembled At my Hiawatha's wedding Sat Iagoo, old and ugly, Sat the marvellous story-teller. And they said, "O good Iagoo, Tell us now a tale of wonder, Tell us of some strange adventure, That the feast may be more joyous, That the time may pass more gayly, And our guests be more contented!" And Iagoo answered straightway, "You shall hear a tale of wonder, You shall hear the strange adventures Of Osseo, the Magician, From the Evening Star descending."
This is the wedding celebration of Hiawatha and Laughing Water, shared through the performances of three guests: Pau-Puk-Keewis dazzles with a wild, whirling dance; Chibiabos serenades the newlyweds with a beautiful love song; and Iagoo, the legendary braggart, is invited to share a tale of wonder. The poem captures a community coming together to celebrate, with each person contributing their unique gift to the feast.
Line-by-line
You shall hear how Pau-Puk-Keewis, / How the handsome Yenadizze
Sumptuous was the feast Nokomis / Made at Hiawatha's wedding;
But the gracious Hiawatha, / And the lovely Laughing Water,
And when all the guests had finished, / Old Nokomis, brisk and busy,
Then the handsome Pau-Puk-Keewis, / He the idle Yenadizze,
First he danced a solemn measure, / Very slow in step and gesture,
Then they said to Chibiabos, / To the friend of Hiawatha,
"Onaway! Awake, beloved! / Thou the wild-flower of the forest!"
Thus the gentle Chibiabos / Sang his song of love and longing;
So among the guests assembled / At my Hiawatha's wedding
Tone & mood
The tone is consistently celebratory and warm, reflecting a storyteller's steady confidence. Longfellow maintains a cheerful momentum — there's no hint of darkness, only the joy of a community coming together. When he talks about Pau-Puk-Keewis, the energy and spectacle increase. During Chibiabos's song, the tone shifts to a heartfelt tenderness. It then transitions to gentle comedy with the depiction of Iagoo. Overall, the vibe conveys a deep affection for these characters, inviting you to share in that love.
Symbols & metaphors
- The feast and its foods — The specific foods — sturgeon, pemican, wild rice, buffalo marrow — aren't just for show. They root the poem in a genuine cultural context and express themes of abundance, community, and the land's generosity. The feast represents the community's well-being and unity.
- Pau-Puk-Keewis's dance — The dance begins as entertainment but evolves into something much bigger—it actually transforms the landscape, forming the Sand Dunes. It embodies art's creative and transformative power, as well as the untamed energy that exists alongside structured celebration.
- The river in Chibiabos's song — The river shows up twice in the love song: it's shadowed by clouds when the beloved is upset and sparkles with ripples when she smiles. It reflects the lover's emotional state, mirrored in nature—a classic Romantic technique that Longfellow employs beautifully here.
- The pipe — Nokomis filling the red-stone pipes signals the shift from the meal to the entertainment. The pipe represents ceremony and communal ritual — a sign that what comes next is significant and shared, not just casual.
- Iagoo's boasting — Iagoo is a comic representation of human vanity and the desire for recognition. His over-the-top claims are so famous that his name has turned into a synonym for bragging — he embodies a warning, all while being humorous.
- The Evening Star — The Evening Star, mentioned only at the very end, hints at the mythic and celestial aspects of Osseo's lineage. It suggests that Iagoo's upcoming story will shift from the earthly realm of the feast to a more cosmic and legendary narrative.
Historical context
Longfellow released *The Song of Hiawatha* in 1855, making it one of the most popular American poems of the 19th century. He drew inspiration from the Ojibwe legends gathered by ethnographer Henry Rowe Schoolcraft and adopted the unique trochaic tetrameter — the da-DUM-da-DUM rhythm — from the Finnish epic *Kalevala*. The eleventh canto of this epic is titled "Hiawatha's Wedding-Feast." Longfellow wrote during a time when American interest in Indigenous cultures was peaking, yet his portrayal often romanticizes and oversimplifies these cultures in ways that later critics have justifiably questioned. The poem enjoyed immense popularity during its time and was even set to music by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor in 1898. It influenced how many Americans in the 19th century envisioned Native life, with both positive and negative implications.
FAQ
It recounts the wedding festivities of Hiawatha and his bride, Laughing Water (Minnehaha). Three guests take the stage to entertain the crowd: Pau-Puk-Keewis performs a dance, Chibiabos sings a love song, and Iagoo is asked to share a story. The poem ultimately celebrates the joy found in community gatherings and the various expressions of art.
The poem uses trochaic tetrameter, which consists of eight syllables per line with the stress on the first syllable of each pair (DA-dum DA-dum DA-dum DA-dum). Longfellow directly adopted this rhythm from the Finnish epic *Kalevala*. This repetition is purposeful; it captures the essence of oral storytelling and chant, creating a hypnotic, drum-like quality that perfectly fits a tale about music and dance.
Nokomis is Hiawatha's grandmother, and in this poem, she takes charge of the entire feast. She cooks the food, sends out invitations, fills the pipes, and calls each performer in turn. She is the practical and loving spirit behind the celebration — the one who brings the joy to life.
Longfellow doesn't provide a detailed description of the Beggar's Dance, but it seems to be a traditional social dance. The key aspect of the poem is how the dance evolves — beginning slowly and solemnly, before transforming into a wild frenzy that whips up the wind and sand, ultimately forming the Sand Dunes on the lakeshore. Longfellow transforms this social performance into a mythic event that shapes the world.
Chibiabos is Hiawatha's closest friend and the finest musician among the people. His song, dedicated to a beloved with the refrain 'Onaway! Awake, beloved!', is a love song crafted entirely from nature comparisons. He sings it while gazing at Hiawatha and Laughing Water, making it both a general love song and a wedding blessing for the couple.
Not really — he's more of a comic character. He's a legendary braggart whose tall tales are so outrageous that his name has turned into a common insult for anyone who boasts excessively. Longfellow portrays him with a mix of affection and mockery. Iagoo is also truly talented: he carved Hiawatha's cradle and taught him how to make bows and arrows. He's vain and jealous, but not mean-spirited.
Longfellow drew inspiration for the poem from Ojibwe legends that Henry Rowe Schoolcraft collected, giving it some grounding in reality through cultural details like foods, games, and ceremonies. However, he also romanticized and oversimplified many aspects, viewing Indigenous life through a European Romantic perspective. As a result, the poem captures 19th-century American views of Native peoples rather than accurately portraying how Ojibwe people lived or perceived themselves.
This section is one canto in a much longer epic poem. Longfellow wraps it up with a cliffhanger — Iagoo hints at the tale of Osseo the Magician, but that story will be told in the next canto. It’s a classic storytelling technique: keep the audience eager for what’s next.