Nokomis facts for kids

Nokomis is a very important character in traditional Ojibwe stories. She is known as the grandmother of Nanabozho, a famous trickster and hero in these tales.

Nokomis is also a key figure in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's famous poem, The Song of Hiawatha. This poem tells the story of Hiawatha, who is based on the Nanabozho tales. In the poem, Nokomis is Hiawatha's wise and loving grandmother.

The poem describes Nokomis living by the shores of Gitche Gumee, also called the "Big-Sea-Water." She is introduced with these 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.

In the poem, Nokomis is said to have fallen from the full moon. She has a daughter named Wenonah. Wenonah later has a son, Hiawatha, with the West-Wind, Mudjekeewis. Sadly, Wenonah dies when Hiawatha is born. Nokomis then raises Hiawatha, teaching him many important things.

In the Ojibwe language, the word nookomis actually means "my grandmother." This makes Nokomis feel like a very personal and special character in both the poem and the traditional Ojibwe stories.

Places and Things Named After Nokomis

Many places and even some vessels have been named in honor of Nokomis. This shows how important and well-known her character is.

Places in the United States

Several locations across the United States carry the name Nokomis:

• Nokomis Avenue, a large road in Chicago and Lincolnwood, Illinois.
• Nokomis Avenue, a street in Minneapolis.
• Camp Nokomis, an all-girls sleepaway camp run by the Merrimack Valley YMCA.
• Nokomis, Alabama, a small community that was once a railroad stop.
• Nokomis, Escambia County, Florida, a community near Nokomis, Alabama.
• Nokomis, Sarasota County, Florida, a place where many people live.
• Nokomis Township, Buena Vista County, Iowa.
• Nokomis, Illinois, a city.
• Nokomis, Minneapolis, Minnesota, a neighborhood.
• Lake Nokomis, a lake in Minneapolis, Minnesota, connected to other lakes by Minnehaha Creek.
• Nokomis Regional High School, located in Newport, Maine.
• The Nokomis Native American Cultural Learning Center in Okemos, Michigan.
• Nokomis Elementary School, in Ukiah, California.
• Nokomis Park in Cheektowaga (town), New York.
• Nokomis Groves, a well-known landmark.
• Nokomis Pond, a town reservoir in Newport, Maine.
• Lake Nokomis, found in Oneida and Lincoln counties, Wisconsin.
• Lake Nokomis, a reservoir near Red Feather Lakes Village in Larimer County, Colorado.
• Nokomis Township, Oneida County, Wisconsin.
• Lake Nokomis (also called Rice Reservoir on Tomahawk River) in Wisconsin.
• Nokomis Inc., a small private business in Charleroi, Pennsylvania.
• Nokomis Elementary School, in Ronkonkoma, New York.
• Nokomis Road, in Sudbury, Massachusetts.
• Nokomis Road, in Apple Valley, California.
• Nokomis Way, in Natick, Massachusetts.
• Nokomis Elementary, in Medford Lakes, New Jersey.

Places in Canada

Nokomis is also recognized in Canada:

• Nokomis, Saskatchewan.
• Nokomis Trail, part of Lake Superior Provincial Park, Ontario.
• Nokomis Park, part of Larose Forest in Limoges, Ontario.

In Fiction

Nokomis appears as a character in Richard Adams' fantasy novel Maia. In this story, she has a son named Anda Nokomis.

Vessels

Two ships have been named after Nokomis:

• The USS Nokomis (YT-142) was a fleet tugboat. It was at Pearl Harbor during the attack on December 7, 1941. The USS Nokomis helped other ships and survived the attack.
• The ship SS Delphine (1921) was originally named Nomokis.

Nokomis Pottery

From 1929 to 1934, Red Wing Potteries Inc. made a special type of pottery called Nokomis glazed pottery. This pottery was produced in Red Wing, Minnesota.