The Greatest Lakes
By the Shores of Gitchee Gumee
Longfellow’s Song of Hiawatha
The shoreline of Lake Superior,
"Gitchee Gumee"
by Timothy McDonnell
Victor Jr. High School
Victor, New York
CONNECTIONS TO THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY STANDARDS:
The geographically aware person knows…
Std. 10 - The characteristics, distribution, and complexity
of Earth’s cultural mosaics.
Std. 13 - How the forces of cooperation and conflict among
people influence the division and control of Earth’s surface.
CONNECTIONS TO THE NEW YORK STATE STANDARDS FOR
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS:
Std. 2 - Students will read and listen to oral, written, and
electronically produced texts and performances from American and world
literature; relate texts and performances to their own lives; and develop
an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimension
the texts and performances represent.
OBJECTIVES: (to know, to do, and to be like)
1. The students will translate selections of Longfellow's poem, Song
of Hiawatha, into modern English prose.
2. They will discuss the values that we traditionally assume Native
Americans had, especially according to Longfellow.
3. They will write a sequel to the Song of Hiawatha, bringing the
story into the 19th century.
MATERIALS:
Activity Worksheet (in pdf format); hard
copies of the Song
of Hiawatha by Longfellow (at least copy selected parts of the
poem), "The Peace Pipe" map of Native Peoples,
writing materials.
PROCEDURES:
1. Read to the class, or have students take turns reading various
sections, the Introduction for the Song of Hiawatha.
2. Make a list of the imagery used in the Introduction, such as Longfellow's
use of animals in almost-human terms. Also discuss the rhyming scheme (if
any) and the meter used.
3. Look at the geography of the Song of Hiawatha. Locate
important places on a map, as well as the homelands of the native peoples
mentioned in the Introduction.
4. Assign groups of students different sections of the Song of Hiawatha to read and analyze. They will be responsible for reporting back to the class
about the plot, the characters, the conflicts and resolutions, nature imagery,
places described.
5. Save the last section, "Hiawatha's Departure", for a class discussion.
The arrival of the Jesuit priests (the Black-Robed Chiefs) foretells
a time of great sorrow for the Ojibway. What signs of cultural conflict
are evident already?
6. This first contact occurred in the 17th century. Soon the Upper Lakes
were swarming with voyageurs, French and British soldiers, and finally American
settlers. By the 19th century, the native peoples were living on small reservations,
surrounded by a foreign culture. Have the students write a sequel to the
Song of Hiawatha, that takes place during the late 18th or early 19th
century. It can be in prose or in verse…your choice!
SUGGESTED STUDENT ASSESSMENT
1. The group presentations on the different sections of the poem
should be evaluated using a rubric.
2. Also assess the assignment in Procedure #6 on the sequel to the
Song of Hiawatha.
3. Have the students make a map of the travels of different characters
in the poem.
ADAPTATIONS AND EXTENSIONS:
1. Find literature written by and about Native Americans. Compare
the characterizations to those found in the Song of Hiawatha.
2. Find a biography of Henry W. Longfellow. What were his influences?
Why did he write the Song of Hiawatha?
3. The story of Hiawatha is mostly fictional. The real Hiawatha was an
important leader of the Onondaga Nation (in what-is-now Central
New York). Why is he important in the history of North America?