This book contains some of the oral
traditions of the American Indians; these myths and legends depict the
American Indian
as hunter, warrior, magician and medicine man. These myths and legends may help to dispel the (widespread) notion that the
American Indian was cruel and bloodthirsty; but they will certainly confirm his belief in the supernatural. The American Indian has been hitherto portrayed as a “stoic of the woods”, as the author describes it. This portrayal – while true in itself – is only part of the total picture, for the American Indian was much, much more…
The author says that it may be possible to trace connections with other members of the human family by means of these myths. Comparisons may be made with the early mythologies and cosmology of the Oriental world; when creation was equated with the forces of nature (especially the Sun). The American Indian, says the author, is motivated mainly by notions of fame/honor, family and victory – he is neither a savage, nor necessarily a friend to (western) civilization.
Hiawatha – messenger of the Great Spirit – is the ideal to be sought for wisdom, courage, and proper conduct. No American Indian could aspire any higher… than to emulate Hiawatha. His legend is popular, and widespread. Hiawatha is the man; nobility of purpose animates every action of his.
A man’s home is his castle; and this is especially true of the American Indian. After every exploit or adventure in the wilderness, he returns home to his lodge (cabin / cottage) for rest and recuperation, to be tended by the women in the family. Of course, this is also a time for celebration, which takes place accompanied by the singing of songs and the beating of drums. The songs sung on this occasion are told and retold in honor of the exploits. Hiawatha is the greatest of the American Indian heroes, not only because he traveled further (than other heroes)or had more daring adventures than them, but because he saw deeper into the future than they did. But none of his great exploits were achieved easily; Hiawatha struggled – and suffered – during these trials. It is not from magic, only because he was the better man that he triumphed in the end.
Undoubtedly, these tales are infused with a moral lesson in them, from which the hearer gains some invaluable lesson or the other. However, the morality does not obscure the main purpose of the myth, which is simply to tell a good and absorbing story. But, savage or not, the American Indian had certain principles by which he lived; principles that he never abandoned:
# He had the (natural) wisdom of all the animals, he understood their behavior, and he was capable of imitating them.
# And among men, he believed in the dictum “do unto others as they have done unto you”.
Hiawatha is admired – and emulated – not just because of his stature (standing), but because he is someone that the American Indians can identify with. At times, he is all too human, another warrior among a nation of warriors. As such, his persona is somewhat similar to that of Krishna among the Hindus: human yet divine, divine yet human.