Nokomis
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Nokomis was the name of Hiawatha's grandmother, both fictional characters of Ojibway mythology 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 is known to be named after her, as is Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis.
- Nokomis, Minneapolis, a community in Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Nokomis Regional High School in Newport, Maine, (see www.msad48.org) and nearby Nokomis Pond, the water supply for the town of Newport.
- Camp Nokomis is a summer camp in New Hampshire.
- Camp Nokomis was a summer camp in Mahopac, NY until 1974.
- Nokomis, Saskatchewan, Canada http://www.nokomis.cc
[edit] Other uses
- Nokomis : Long-lived female golden eagle cared for at the San Francisco Zoo.
