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the spoil was set aside for a feast [3, 31-32]. Then a great feast took place and the meals for the
banquet were prepared from that spoil. This tradition is given in “The song of Hiawatha” with large
descriptions of an Indian feast. When Hiawatha reached his adolescence, the old story teller and old
Nokomis sent him to his first hunting. As he was a strong youth, he had to prove his strength and
bring food to his wigwam as for the Indians hunting and fishing was very serious business. The
Indian man played a great role in his family; he was the head of the family. The comfort and peace
of an Indian family depended on the man’s success.
As we mentioned, hunting was a part of the Indian life. Before the Indian men learned
cultivating the land, hunting and fishing were the only ways of getting food. As hunting was much
needed, people had to be successful in their work. When Hiawatha killed his first deer, Nokomis
gave a great feast in his honor. All the people were invited to his feast. All praised Hiawatha for his
strong heart and success. People called him “Strong Heart” and “Soan-ge-taha” [5, 32].
The next feast in the poem was given after Hiawatha’s killing The Great Pearl-Feather. The
Pearl-Feather was a great magician, Manito of Wealth and Wampum. He was the great threat for the
Indian people. The Pearl-Feather lived in the fen-lands, and was guarded by The Kenabeek, the great
serpents. He was the one who was sending fever from marshes, pestilential vapors, and poisonous
exhalations. The Pearl-Feather was sending diseases and death to the people, and he was the murderer
of Nokomis’s father. Hiawatha went with a great feeling for revenge of his grandfather and for
escaping his people from this hazard. Killing the Peral-Feather, Hiawatha saved his people from the
fever and diseases. He took all the wealth of the magician and brought it to his people. He took all his
wealth of skins and wampum, furs of bison and beaver, sable, ermine, wampum belts, strings,
pouches, silver-headed arrows to the village. The people welcomed him with songs and dances. They
made a great feast to his honor and praised him. People were very joyous and thankful to Hiawatha
for saving their lives and for bringing peace to their village. There would be no disease and fever
among the people anymore with the death of the Pearl-Feather. The village was now in safety.
Hiawatha shared all the wealth that he brought equally among his people. People cried “Honor be to
Hiawatha!” and he deserved it with his bravery and being generous towards his people [5, 70-78].
Another interesting and important feast was The Feast of Mondamin which is mentioned in
the poem. Everything begins with Hiawatha’s fasting. The main food that Indians could get, as we
mentioned before, was from hunting. If they didn’t hunt, they didn’t have anything to eat. This
matter worried Hiawatha. He looked upon the sturgeon, pike, herring; he looked upon the fruits and
thought why people should depend upon only these foods. Hiawatha understood that people had to
know another way of getting food, which would be forever. Hunting cannot be the only basis of life.
He was searching for it and praying not for himself, but for his people. Seven days and nights he
was fasting and praying not for greater skill in hunting, not for triumph in the battle, but for the
profit of the people and advantage of the nations. On his fourth day of fasting, Mondamin came
there and gave a chance to Hiawatha to get what he prayed for. Three days he wrestled with
Mondamin, despite being tired, hungry and thirsty. With the triumph over Mondamin, Hiawatha
achieved his dream. Finally, he placed Mondamin in his grave, didn’t let anyone or anything to
disturb him to sleep and break his peace. Until the summer ended, the maize grew up from the
ground over the Mondamin’s grave. Hiawatha got what he prayed for. When the autumn came, they
gathered all the ripened maize and gave the first Feast for Mondamin. It had to be a feast of all
nations because finally they got a food forever. The Feast of Mondamin was given to thank The
Great Spirit, for his being so kind to the nations and sending them such a perfect gift [5, 42-50].
Since then each autumn they held this feast [7, 139-140]. The traces of the Mondamin Feast we can
see in the Thanksgiving Holiday. This holiday is held in America in autumn every year to show
people’s gratitude to God for giving them food. Many people believe that the origin of
Thanksgiving Day goes to the harvest celebration of pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts. They
celebrated it for rain that ended a drought, and they were saved from hunger. But in the poem
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