Hiawatha desires to explore the river Taquamenaw, so he builds a canoe to carry him. He asks the birch tree to give him bark for the boat’s body, and the cedar tree to give him boughs to reinforce it, and the larch tree for its roots to bind the canoe together. Then Hiawatha takes the sap of the fir tree to waterproof the inside. The trees are unhappy, but agree to help him. He also takes quills from the hedgehog to create an adornment for the canoe. Finally, Kwasind helps Hiawatha clear the fallen trees and rocks from the river to ensure safe passage for any who want to travel on it.

In his canoe, Hiawatha sets out to catch Nahma, king of all fishes. He calls Nahma to come, but Nahma instead sends the pike to break Hiawatha’s fishing line. When Hiawatha sees the pike, he shouts at him and sends the fish away in shame. Hiawatha calls Nahma again, but Nahma sends the sunfish. Hiawatha sees the sunfish, gets angry, and sends him away too. Finally, Nahma rises up out of the water and devours Hiawatha and his canoe. Inside the fish’s belly, Hiawatha sees Nahma’s heart and beats it with his fist.