Alice L. De Vine

“ In the canoe is Minnehaha dressed as an angel and using paddle. The soft sweet music grows nearer and louder, and the halo of light surrounding her brighter as the canoe approaches. The Indians stop their various pursuits and stand in attitudes of astonishment watching the canoe approach. Hiawatha, stepping forward to the margin of the lake when Minnehaha is first seen, stands shading his eyes, expectantly watching and waiting. Nokomis also comes forth from her tepee. Minnehaha beckons to Hiawatha. ”

“ Act, Hiawatha:
Hiawatha rushed into the wigwam,
Saw the old Nokomis slowly
Rocking to and fro and moaning,
Saw his lovely Minnehaha
Lying dead and cold before him,
And his bursting heart within him
Uttered such a cry of Anguish,
That the forest moaned and shuddered,
That the very stars in heaven
Shook and trembled with his anguish. Hiawatha, astounded, shocked, then mournfully.
Dead out of the empty heaven,
Dead among the starving people, Calling to Heaven, despairingly:
Master of Life! ”

“ Hiawatha disappears in the forest looking for game.
Scene changes showing the interior of the tepee where Minnehaha lies sick and dying. Fever sitting at her head, Famine at her feet, both staring at her. Old Nokomis sitting at the back of the couch, watching over and caring for her with maternal love and pity. ”

“ In the lodge of Hiawatha. Nokomis, sobbing.
Farewell, O Hiawatha!
Farewell, my child, my noble Hiawatha. Hiawatha, turning to Indians:
[Pg 43]
Gitche Manitou, the Mighty,
Showed me in my vision,
All the secrets of the future,
Of the distant days that shall be.
I beheld the westward marches
Of the unknown crowded nations.
All the land was full of people,
Restless, struggling, toiling, striving,
Speaking many tongues, yet feeling
But one heart-beat in their bosoms. ”

“ Act, Fever and Famine:
Then the curtain of the doorway
From without was slowly lifted;
And two women entered softly,
Passed the doorway uninvited,
Without word of salutation,
Without sign of recognition,
Sat down in the farthest corner,
Crouching low among the shadows.
Very pale and haggard were they,
As they sat there sad and silent,
Trembling, cowering with the shadows,
Sobbing, weeping, wailing. Minnehaha, Softly:
They are famished;
Let them do what best delights them;
Let them eat, for they are famished.
[Pg 30]
Hiawatha, musingly to himself:
Who are they? ”

“ Must our lives depend on these things? Moans, cries, then softly murmurs.
Ah, showain nemeshin, Nosa!
Pity, pity me, my father! Pathetically beseeching Minnehaha:
O! my Minnehaha; O, my Laughing Water,
Do not leave me thus; [Pg 38]
You were my moonlight, starlight, firelight
You were the sunshine of my life, Whispering to her in her slumbers:
Though you are far from me
In the land of Sleep and Silence,
Still the voice of love should reach you! Nokomis, sorrowfully, resignedly:
She is dead, the Laughing Water! ”

“ Minnehaha:
I will follow you my husband!
[Pg 19]
Arrow-maker:
Rising, going over and speaking to Hiawatha.
You have wooed and won my maiden,
With your stories of the North-land!
Happy are you, Hiawatha,
Having such a wife to love you! Arrow-maker; turning, speaking to his daughter:
Happy are you, Laughing Water,
Having such a noble husband! Arrow-maker, (to both) :
O my children,
Love is sunshine, hate is shadow,
Life is checkered shade and sunshine,
Rule by love, O Hiawatha!
“O my children,
Day is restless, night is quiet,
Man imperious, women feeble ”

“ Scene Second.
Hiawatha’s Journey. Scenery:
A short scene can be given here, showing a deep forest, also giving a view of Hiawatha upon his journey and with his bow and arrow, shooting the deer which he takes MINNEHAHA as a gift, and lays at her feet on his arrival.
Act, Hiawatha:
Through the forest deep and lonely,
Then he journeyed without resting,
Till he heard the cataract’s laughter,
Heard the Falls of Minnehaha
Calling to him through the silence.
Standing, Listening, he murmured, Hiawatha:
Pleasant is the sound! ”

“ At each stride a mile he measured! Hiawatha; (speaking meditatively) :
As unto the bow the cord is,
So unto the man is woman,
Though she bends him, she obeys him,
Though she draws him, yet she follows,
Useless each without the other! Nokomis ”

“ The following conversation to be carried on between the ARROW-MAKER and HIAWATHA while MINNEHAHA brings the food etc., and sets before them.
Hiawatha, (with much expression) :
“You know of my wondrous birth and being,
How I prayed and how I fasted,
How I lived, and toiled, and suffered,
That the tribes of men might prosper,
That I might advance my people!”
Dear Old Nokomis who has nursed me in my childhood needs a daughter now to help her. ”

“ Just when they have learned to help us,
Just when we are old and lean upon them,
Comes a youth with flaunting feathers,
With his flute of reeds, a stranger
Wanders piping through the village,
Beckons to the fairest maiden,
And she follows where he leads her,
Leaving father, mother, home, friends,
Leaving ALL things, for the Stranger. ”

“ Hiawatha and Minnehaha are to be seen (while Arrow-maker is thus sitting at the doorway and meditating) ; first winding in and out among the trees, then climbing the rocks, coming into view, then disappearing behind rocks; then again being seen wending their way higher and higher upon the rocks, and when the SUMMIT of the MINNEHAHA FALLS is reached, they are seen, Hiawatha, with his arm around Minnehaha, pointing to the wigwam in the valley below. The Old Arrow-maker sees them at the same time, rises, (shading his eyes with his hand) and looks upward at them. ”

“ Act, Hiawatha and Minnehaha:
From the wigwam he departed,
Leading with him Laughing Water;
Hand in hand they went together,
Left the old man standing lonely
At the doorway of his wigwam. Arrow-maker, very sorrowfully:
Fare thee well, O Minnehaha!
[Pg 20]
Act, Arrow-maker:
And the ancient Arrow-maker
Turned again unto his labor,
Sat down by his sunny doorway,
Murmuring to himself, and saying: Arrow-maker, (meditatively and with much expression) :
“Thus it is our daughters leave us
Those we love, and those who love us! ”

“ HOME SWEET HOME is played behind the scenes, soft and low, with stringed instruments, while they are climbing the rocks, and various colored lights are thrown upon the scene, making an effective and beautiful tableaux. ”

“ O my sweetheart, my Algonquin!” Indian pastimes, games, dances and specialties should be here introduced. If possible a national Indian dance by a number of Indians. The Harvest Dance, Ghost Dance or a War Dance, with colored lights thrown upon the scene and soft music behind scenes, forming tableaux during dances and before the curtain falls.
CURTAIN.
[Pg 28]
ACT V.
FAMINE, FEVER AND
MINNEHAHA’S DEATH. Scenery:
Forest and Lake, same as Act IV, but WINTER. Interior of Nokomis’ Tepee. Present, Hiawatha, Nokomis and Minnehaha all of whose appearance indicate starvation and great suffering. ”

“ Winter—Tepee of Nokomis—Starvation—Minnehaha begs for food—Enter Famine and Fever—Hiawatha hunting food—Disheartened—Appeal to Great Spirit—Minnehaha’s sufferings and death—Lamentations—Hiawatha’s return—Grief—Indian funeral—Tableaux. ”

“ Same as Act II. This is supposed to be the TRIBE and land of THE OJIBWAYS. Showing the INTERIOR of the TEPEE of Old NOKOMIS. HIAWATHA; (tall, straight, of majestic figure, commanding aspect, dashing and handsome,) is seen shaping an arrow to fit a bow. NOKOMIS; a majestic Indian woman as befits HIAWATHA’S grandmother, sits making a robe of deer skin or work of like kind. HIAWATHA sits working, thinking, pondering. ”

“ In thus depicting the higher and better life of the Indian race, their mode of living, dress, pastimes, feats of skill, dances, wooings, wedding feasts, festivities, death scenes and legends, the author has adhered to the original language of the poem as closely as is consistent with a faithful dramatization thereof. ”

“ Pau-Puk-Keewis; the Dancer. Bukadawin; Famine. Ahkosewin; Fever. Minnehaha; Hiawatha’s Bride, a Dakotah Maiden. Old Nokomis; Hiawatha’s Grand-mother. Miscellaneous Indian Braves. Miscellaneous Indian Women. SYNOPSIS.
[Pg 2]
ACT I.
THE PEACE PIPE. Scenery:
Description as nearly as possible to follow description according to the poem. In background, high mountains. In foreground, lower hills, with forest trees and Indian tents in the distance: GITCHE MANITO; The great Spirit and FATHER of all NATIONS descends from the clouds encircled in a flood of bright lights of various colors ”