Classics and the Western Canon discussion

This week’s reading includes:

X — Hiawatha’s Wooing
XI —Hiawatha’s Wedding-Feast
XII - The Son of the Evening Star
XIII - Blessing the Corn-Fields

Hiawatha’s Wooing — Despite Nokomis’s misgivings, Hiawatha returns to the land of the Dacotahs to ask for the hand of Minnehaha aka Laughing Water. Her father approves, she agrees, and she and Hiawatha journey home, getting congratulations and advice from the birds, sun, and moon.

Hiawatha’s Wedding-Feast — After the big wedding feast comes the entertainment. A new character is introduced, Pau-Puk-Keewis aka the Storm-Fool, who performs a series of dances. Then, Chibiabos sings “songs of love and songs of longing.” After the music, the guests ask for a story from Iagoo, “the great boaster.”

The Son of the Evening Star — Iagoo tells the story of Osseo, the son of the evening star. Osseo is “poor and ugly,/ Broken with age and weak with coughing,/ Always coughing like a squirrel,” but he marries the youngest and fairest of ten sisters, Oweenee. Thus begins a story of transformation and magic with a not-so-hidden message. The celebration ends with another song by Chibiabos.

Blessing the Corn-fields — Happy days follow the wedding with “peace among the nations.” The maize-fields are flourishing. When the maize was planted, Hiawatha told his wife to “draw a magic circle” by walking naked around the fields in the night “when all is silence” and “when all is darkness”. But her magic charm was no protection against “the hungry crows and ravens” who descended on the fields to eat the seeds, so Hiawatha waged war on them to protect the maize. Now, there is a good crop, and the young people laugh and sing as they harvest and husk the corn.

Questions:

1). In “Blessing the Corn-fields,” the nations are at peace, but there is a battle between Hiawatha and some of the birds. What do you think is going on in this story where there seems to be no harmony between Hiawatha and the crows and ravens?

2) “The Son of the Evening Star” begins with questions. Is it “the sun descending” or “the Red Swan floating, flying/Wounded by the magic arrow?” The answers to those questions seem ambiguous: “Yes; it is the sun descending…No; it is the Red Swan floating…”. And more ambiguity: “Over it the Star of Evening/ Melts and trembles through the purple…No; it is a bead of wampum/On the robes of the Great Spirit…” . I found this introductory section beautiful but a bit confusing. What do you think is going on here?

My take on the start of The Son of the Evening Star was that perspective shapes the word you see. I think this is what the author is trying to convey with different descriptions of the same experience.

I'm struck by the fact that a lot of their behaviors and stories impart some sort of moral message.
Hiawatha, Laughing Water, and Nokomis don't eat until they have served all the wedding guests.
The community's attitude toward Iagoo tells us they discourage bragging about one's exploits, i.e one has to demonstrate humility.
And, finally, Iagoo's story of Osseo tells us we shouldn't ridicule people we don't understand, or judge people by the way they look, or treat the elderly with disrespect.

Susan wrote: "What do you think is going on in this story where there seems to be no harmony between Hiawatha and the crows and ravens?"

Hiawatha's wife protects the crops from the insects on the ground by setting up a barrier with a magic circle when she walks round the crops. But her magic circle can't protect marauders from the sky. So Hiawatha has to deal with the crows and ravens. His punishment seems a bit severe, but maybe it has to be because they are stealing food from the community.

Mike wrote: "My take on the start of The Son of the Evening Star was that perspective shapes the word you see. I think this is what the author is trying to convey with different descriptions of the same experie..."

Interesting take. It’s as if the storyteller perceives and conveys two different realities about the same object as he prepares to tell his story (the setting sun and the red swan, the evening star and the bead of wampum). And there is a similar variance in the portrayal of Osseo, who is old and ugly in appearance, but has the beautiful spirit inherited from the Evening Star within him.

Tamara wrote: "I'm struck by the fact that a lot of their behaviors and stories impart some sort of moral message.
Hiawatha, Laughing Water, and Nokomis don't eat until they have served all the wedding guests.
..."

Good point. Another example might be Hiawatha’s bringing a gift of the red deer to Minnehaha and her father.

Tamara wrote: "Hiawatha's wife protects the crops from the insects on the ground by setting up a barrier with a magic circle when she walks round the crops. But her magic circle can't protect marauders from the sky. So Hiawatha has to deal with the crows and ravens. His punishment seems a bit severe, but maybe it has to be because they are stealing food from the community. ..."

That sounds possible, but I wonder if the punishment of the birds who raid the fields has to do with what is almost impiety on their parts toward Mondamin’s gift and sacrifice. “We will drag Mondamin,” said they,/ From the grave where he is buried.” or maybe it’s just in accordance with Mondamin’s guidance to Hiawatha in Book V to “Let no hand disturb my slumber..Let not Kahgahgee, the Raven,/ Come to haunt me and molest me..”. But somehow the usual compact with nature doesn’t seem to apply here.

Susan wrote: "That sounds possible, but I wonder if the punishment of the birds who raid the fields has to do with what is almost impiety on their parts toward Mondamin’s gift and sacrifice.."

Good point.
There is an element of violence in the language. The ravens will "drag" Mondamin. Hiawatha is instructed not to let them "haunt" and "molest" him. The ravens are called "marauders." They ridicule Hiawatha.

It all illustrates a lack of respect for Mondamin and his instructions. Rather than a reciprocal and respectful relationship with nature, the ravens want to exert power over nature, to subdue and dominate. That attitude is antithetical to the teaching of Mondamin.

I took the murder of crows (so to speak) as a nod to the savagery of the Indians when they went to war. Hiawatha promoted peace, of course, but he was also terrible in war.

The ravens and the crows are companions of Death. I thought I read that in this poem, but maybe in the classical stuff I've been reading.

Sam wrote: "The ravens and the crows are companions of Death. I thought I read that in this poem, but maybe in the classical stuff I've been reading."

the raven must have fascinated humankind for a long time. All over the world there is symbolism attached to it.
In Native American cultures the raven has a prominent place in the Pacific Northwest, but I haven't found anything specific to the Great Lakes region. Sometimes he performs magic, sometimes being a trickster. Though I don't know enough to say more.
The association with death comes largely from Christian tradition. The raven symbolizes the devil and thereby sin and death. At its opposite is the dove, symbol for the Holy Spirit, which is life and innocence.

Kerstin wrote: "Sam wrote: "The ravens and the crows are companions of Death. I thought I read that in this poem, but maybe in the classical stuff I've been reading."

the raven must have fascinated humankind for ..."

Let's not forget one positive aspect: according to an old legend, it was a raven who taught Adam and Eve how to bury Abel's body, so his body would not be ravaged by scavengers. Well, there is another version where Cain learnt if from a raven in order to hide the body and the murder from God. But my positive self prefers the first version.