Hiawatha’s Vision

On the shores of Gitchagoomy by the shining big sea water
Hiawatha, old and greyin' listened to the older prophet listened to lagu
And the young men and the women from the land of the Ojibways
From the land of the Dakotas, from the woodlands and the prairies
Stood and listened to the prophet heard lagu tell Hiawatha
”I have seen” he said  “a water bigger than the big sea water,
Broader than the Gitchagoomy,

Bitter so that none cold drink it,
Salty so that none would use it”.
Hiawatha then spoke to them,

Stopped all their jeering and their jesting
And he spoke to all the people.
”It's true what lagu tells you for I have seen it in a vision.
I have also seen the water to the East to the land of morning
And upon this great water came a strange canoe with pinions
Bigger than a grove of pine trees

Taller than the tallest tree tops
And upon this great canoe were sails to carry it swiftly
And it carried many people

strange and foreign were these people
And white were all their faces

and with hair their chins were covered”.
”Then” said Hiawatha, “ I beheld a darker vision
Many hundreds came behind them

Pushed their way across our prairies
In our woodlands rang their axes

In our valleys smoked their cities.
Our people were all scattered,

All forgetful of our councils
Left their homelands going westward wild and woeful
And the man with bearded faces the men with skin so fair
With their barking sticks of thunder,

Drove the remnants of our people
Farther westward westward westward

Then wild wild and wilder
Grew the West that once was ours.