The Song of Hiawatha: An Epic Poem

The Song of Hiawatha is an epic poem in free verse by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and is symbolic of American literature of Indian inspiration of the nineteenth century. The poem, which evokes the life of an Indian named Hiawatha, draws its references from the legends and stories of the North American Indian tribes, especially those of the Ojibwa of Northern Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, Algic Researches and History, Condition and Prospects of the Indian Tribes of the United States by American historian Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, pioneer explorer and ethnographer. He was from 1836 to 1841 responsible for Indian affairs for Michigan. Henry Longfellow began writing the poem on June 25, 1854, finished it on March 29, 1855, and the poem was published on November 10 of the same year. As soon as the poem was released, it became very popular with the public.