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Something to Find Out. — Why Hiawatha gave the woodpecker a red tuft.
Many, many years ago a little Indian boy named Hiawatha lived with his grandmother,old Nokomis. Their wigwam stood on the shore of a big lake called Gitche Gumee. Old Nokomis taught Hiawatha many things about the stars that shine in the sky, and about the rainbow, the moon, the birds, and the animals.
One day when Hiawatha had grown to be a strong young man, his grandmother called him to her side. She was looking over the waters of Gitche Gumee. Pointing toward the purple sunset, she said, “Over there, Hiawatha, is the land of the great Pearl Feather. He is a wicked magician who sends sickness and sorrow to the Indian people.
“Take your bow and arrows, Hiawatha, and your birch canoe. Go to the land of the wicked Pearl Feather and punish him for the suffering that he sends our people.”
So Hiawatha took his strong bow and his sharpest arrows. Jumping into his birch canoe,he said, “O my birch canoe, take me quickly over the water. Take me to the great Pearl Feather.”
The canoe leaped forward swiftly. All night long Hiawatha sailed through black water that was filled with ugly serpents. They hissed as he passed and called to him, “Go back, go back to old Nokomis!”
But Hiawatha did not turn back. He sailed on and on. In the morning he reached the land of the great magician. There, on the hot, sandy beach, he saw the wigwam of Pearl Feather.
With a great shout of joy Hiawatha leaped from his canoe upon the burning sand. Then he aimed an arrow at the wigwam and shouted,“Come out, come out, O wicked Pearl Feather!Hiawatha awaits you.”
Pearl Feather came out at once, shouting to Hiawatha, “Go back to your old grandmother,Nokomis.” But Hiawatha did not answer him.He was not afraid of the wicked magician.
Then began a great battle between Pearl Feather and Hiawatha. All day long in the hot,burning sun they fought and fought. Neither one could win the victory. The great magician could not kill the strong Indian warrior, and Hiawatha’s arrows did no harm to Pearl Feather, for they could not pierce his magic shirt.
At sunset both warriors paused a moment to rest. Hiawatha leaned against a tall pine tree.He was tired and wounded, his war club was broken, and he had only three arrows left.
Just then he heard a voice over his head in the pine tree. A woodpecker was speaking to him. “Aim your arrows, Hiawatha, at the tuft of hair upon the head of Pearl Feather,” said the woodpecker. “That is the only place where he can be wounded.”
When the fighting began again, Hiawatha obeyed the friendly woodpecker. Swiftly his last three arrows flew straight to the tuft of hair on the head of the wicked magician, and Pearl Feather fell down upon the burning sand.
Then the tired Hiawatha felt very grateful to the little woodpecker. He called the bird from his perch among the branches of the pine tree, and touching his head said, “O friendly woodpecker, this day you have done a good deed to the Indian people. As a reward for your kindness you shall always wear a tuft of red feathers on your head.”
The woodpecker fluttered with joy.
Then Hiawatha sailed in his canoe back to old Nokomis on the shore of Gitche Gumee.
— Adapted from “Hiawatha ”