Kwasind

Family: Ojibways · Role: very strong man · First appears: VI · Hiawatha’s Friends

In VI · Hiawatha’s Friends, Kwasind is introduced as “the very strong man” and one of Hiawatha’s two close friends. He and Chibiabos shared counsel and spoke openly together. His mother rebuked him for breaking the nets while trying to wring them out; his father called him lazy for not helping in the hunt, though Kwasind cleared a path by lifting and hurling fallen trees. At Pauwating, he tore up a huge rock and pitched it into the river, then pursued Ahmeek, the King of Beavers underwater and brought him out dead.

In VII · Hiawatha’s Sailing, Kwasind helped Hiawatha clear the rushing Taquamenaw, removing logs and sand-bars to make the river safe for the people. In XVIII · The Death of Kwasind, the Puk-Wudjies conspired to murder him. On a summer afternoon at Taquamenaw, they struck him with pine-cones; he fell into the river and died.

Relationship record

Life events

• Kwasind breaks the nets while trying to wring them out.(VI · Hiawatha’s Friends)
  • With: the mother of Kwasind
  • “Like a wisp of straw he wrung them, Like a wisp of straw he broke them, Could not wring them without breaking,”
• Kwasind clears the blocked path by lifting and hurling the fallen trees.(VI · Hiawatha’s Friends · 📍 the forest)
  • With: the father of Kwasind
  • “Lo! the path was cleared before him; All the trunks had Kwasind lifted, To the right hand, to the left hand, Shot the pine-trees swift as arrows, Hurled the cedars light as lances.”
• Kwasind tears a huge rock from its foundation and pitches it into the river.(VI · Hiawatha’s Friends · 📍 Pauwating)
  • “Tore it from its deep foundation, Poised it in the air a moment, Pitched it sheer into the river, Sheer into the swift Pauwating,”
• Kwasind kills Ahmeek and brings the dead beaver out of the river.(VI · Hiawatha’s Friends · 📍 Pauwating)
  • With: Ahmeek, the King of Beavers
  • “Brought the beaver, dead and dripping, Brought the King of all the Beavers.”
• Hiawatha and Kwasind cleared the river channel, making it safe for the people.(VII · Hiawatha’s Sailing · 📍 the rushing Taquamenaw)
  • With: Hiawatha
  • “Cleared its bed of root and sand-bar, Dragged the dead trees from its channel, Made its passage safe and certain, Made a pathway for the people,”
• The Puk-Wudjies conspired to murder Kwasind.(XVIII · The Death of Kwasind)
  • With: Puk-Wudjies
  • “All conspired to murder Kwasind, Yes, to rid the world of Kwasind,”
• The Puk-Wudjies struck Kwasind with pine-cones, and he fell into the river and died.(XVIII · The Death of Kwasind · 📍 Taquamenaw)
  • With: Puk-Wudjies
  • “There they stood, all armed and waiting, Hurled the pine-cones down upon him, Struck him on his brawny shoulders, On his crown defenceless struck him. ‘Death to Kwasind!’ was the sudden War-cry of the Little People. And he sideways swayed and tumbled, Sideways fell into the river, Plunged beneath the sluggish water Headlong, as an otter plunges; And the birch canoe, abandoned, Drifted empty down the river, Bottom upward swerved and drifted: Nothing more was seen of Kwasind.”

VI · Hiawatha’s Friends

• friends with Hiawatha “Two good friends had Hiawatha, Singled out from all the others, Bound to him in closest union, And to whom he gave the right hand Of his heart, in joy and sorrow; Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind.”
• friends with Chibiabos “For they kept each other’s counsel, Spake with naked hearts together, Pondering much and much contriving How the tribes of men might prosper.”
• parent: the mother of Kwasind “Lazy Kwasind!” said his mother, “In my work you never help me! In the Summer you are roaming Idly in the fields and forests;”
• parent: the father of Kwasind “Lazy Kwasind!” said his father, “In the hunt you never help me; Every bow you touch is broken, Snapped asunder every arrow;”
• enemies with Ahmeek, the King of Beavers “Without speaking, without pausing, Kwasind leaped into the river, Plunged beneath the bubbling surface, Through the whirlpools chased the beaver, Followed him among the islands, Stayed so long beneath the water, That his terrified companions Cried, ‘Alas! good-by to Kwasind! We shall never more see Kwasind!’ But he reappeared triumphant, And upon his shining shoulders Brought the beaver, dead and dripping, Brought the King of all the Beavers.”

VII · Hiawatha’s Sailing

• friends with Hiawatha “Then he called aloud to Kwasind, To his friend, the strong man, Kwasind,”
• recipient: Hiawatha “Saying, ‘Help me clear this river Of its sunken logs and sand-bars.’ Straight into the river Kwasind Plunged as if he were an otter, Dived as if he were a beaver, Stood up to his waist in water, To his arm-pits in the river, Swam and scouted in the river, Tugged at sunken logs and branches, With his hands he scooped the sand-bars, With his feet the ooze and tangle.”

X · Hiawatha’s Wooing · Part 2

• friends with Hiawatha “As he told of his companions, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind,”

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Extracted from the original text of The Song of Hiawatha. Made with Rho MD.