Nokomis
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Nokomis was the name of Hiawatha's grandmother, both characters of Ojibwe traditional stories in Longfellow's poem, The Song of Hiawatha. Nokomis is an important character in the poem, mentioned in the familiar lines
- By the shores of Gitche Gumee,
- By the shining Big-Sea-Water,
- Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,
- Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.
- Dark behind it rose the forest.
According to the poem, From the full moon fell Nokomis/Fell the beautiful Nokomis. She bears a daughter, Wenonah. Despite Nokomis' warnings, Wenonah allows herself to be seduced by the West-Wind, Mudjekeewis,Till she bore a son in sorrow/Bore a son of love and sorrow/Thus was born my Hiawatha.
Abandoned by the heartless Mudjekeewis, Wenonah dies in childbirth, leaving Hiawatha to be raised by Nokomis. The wrinkled old Nokomis/Nursed the little Hiawatha and educates him.
In the Ojibwe language, nookomis means "my grandmother," thus portraying Nokomis of the poem from a more personal point of view, akin to the traditional Ojibwa narrative styles.
[edit] Places named after Nokomis
- The town of Nokomis, Florida
- Nokomis, Minneapolis, a community in Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Nokomis, Illinois
- Nokomis, Saskatchewan, Canada[1]
- Lake Nokomis is part of a chain of lakes connected by Minnehaha Creek in Minneapolis, Minnesota
[edit] Other uses
- Nokomis : Long-lived female golden eagle cared for at the San Francisco Zoo.
