Minnehaha 1857368 221771350 2008-06-26T00:57:56Z Vaneerden 1152414 /* References */ {{otheruses}} [[Image:Hiawatha and Minnehaha.jpg|200px|right|thumb|''[[Hiawatha]] and Minnehaha'' sculpture by [[Jacob Fjelde]] near Minnehaha Falls in [[Minneapolis, Minnesota]].]] '''Minnehaha''' is a fictional [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] woman documented in [[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow]]'s 1855 epic poem ''[[The Song of Hiawatha]]''. She is the lover of the titular protagonist [[Hiawatha]]. The name is often incorrectly said to mean "laughing water", though in reality it translates to "waterfall" in [[Sioux language|Dakota]].<ref>[http://fmdb.cla.umn.edu/dakota/default.htm Dakota Dictionary Online]</ref> She is the subject of the poem, and later song, cantata and painting, ''[[The Death of Minnehaha]]''. Her name is connected to many things in [[Minnesota]], such as [[Minnehaha Falls]], [[Minnehaha Park]], [[Minnehaha Creek]], [[Minnehaha Academy]], and the name of a boat once operated by [[Twin City Rapid Transit]] on [[Lake Minnetonka]], which has now been restored, and is now at the [[Museum of Lake Minnetonka]]. Minnehaha Avenue and [[Hiawatha Avenue]] are both major thoroughfares that run parallel to each other, heading southeast from downtown Minneapolis. Hiawatha is also the name of the Twin Cities light rail system. Her name is also linked to the name of a town called [[Minnehaha Springs]], located in [[Pocahontas County, West Virginia|Pocahontas County]], [[West Virginia]]. There is also a Lake Minnehaha on the [[Clermont Chain of Lakes]] in [[Clermont, Florida]], one of the [[Outstanding Florida Waters|Outstanding Florida Waterbodies]]. Another association is Minnehaha Island, Montgomery County, Maryland (Latitude: 39.025, Longitude: -77.24444), in the Potomac River. There is also a Minnehaha Bay in the small town of Sturgeon Falls, Ontario, Canada. Her name is also linked to Minnehaha County in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. ==References== {{reflist}} {{NorthAm-myth-stub}} [[Image:Death-Of-Minnehaha Dodge.jpg|thumb|left|400px|Death-Of-Minnehaha by [[William de Leftwich Dodge]] in 1892]] [[Category:Anishinaabe mythology]] [[Category:American folklore]] [[Category:Fictional characters from Minnesota]] [[Category:Fictional Native Americans]]