Little Hiawatha 1937

Over the opening narration, Gayne Whitman guides us into the tale of a Native American boy named Little Hiawatha, who paddles his canoe down a winding river, sometimes even going backward, on his way to hunt game. When he reaches shore, he steps out and immediately tumbles into a hidden water hole, prompting the forest animals to laugh at the sight. Hiawatha gives chase to them, though his attempts are repeatedly foiled by a running gag—his pants slipping down during the chase—which the forest seems to enjoy.

Hiawatha spots a grasshopper and pursues it, but the insect spits in his face, eliciting giggles from the surrounding animals. He resumes the chase and soon corners a baby rabbit perched on a tree stump; yet he cannot bring himself to kill it. The rabbit’s sad gaze and its playful, almost pleading demeanor stir his mercy, and even after the rabbit is armed with a spare bow and arrow, Hiawatha forgives it and shoos it back toward its family. In response, he breaks his own bow and arrow, much to the delighted laughter of the forest.

Moments later, Hiawatha discovers bear tracks and comes face-to-face with a bear cub. He gives chase, but the cub’s protective mother appears and pursues him through the woods. The forest allies—raccoons using a vine to trip the bear, opossums flinging Hiawatha into the air, and beavers cutting down trees to block the bear’s path—join in a humorous, inventive distraction to keep him out of the bear’s grasp. After a tense, playful chase, the bear is diverted, and the cub is allowed to safely reunite with its mother.

In the end, Hiawatha returns to his canoe and rows away toward a glowing sunset, while the forest creatures gather to bid him farewell, their chorus echoing the balance between curiosity, mercy, and the wild rhythm of the river.