The Forgotten Legend of Love
(1)
We have arrived at the month of love and I’ve been excitedly waiting to share this romantic tale with you all for some time. Published in 1913, “By the Waters of Minnetonka” is a native Sioux (2) song that was recorded, orchestrated, and published by American composer, Thurlow Lieurance. His work quickly became a cornerstone to the Indianist movement in American classical composure and was heavily reproduced across the nation through the ensuing decades. Today, Lieurance’s title is sometimes confused as having originated from pop star Prince’s famous quote, “purify yourself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka”. This song made Lieurance a household name and, today, it might be considered something of a one hit wonder. As you’re about to see, the original story is a heartwarming one, albeit with a saddened tone. It is one that describes those passionate loves which, while not accepted, finds a way to flourish among exterior pressures.
The following is a summarized version of the Sioux legend behind the composer’s rendition, which was discovered among his notes:
“Moon Deer, daughter of the Moon Clan, loved Sun Deer of the Sun Clan. Tribal law forbade marriage between the two clans. It was decreed that daughters of the Moon Clan must marry into the Eagle Clan. The two lovers, in tears, ran away far to the east and north. They came to a beautiful lake called Minnetonka. Their happiness was disturbed because their traditional enemies, the Chippewa, lived on the north shore of this lake. They feared to return home and be separated, and finally in desperation they decided to end it all. The legend states that they disappeared beneath the waves and were no more. The waves moaned a rhythmic sound and the pines crooned their love song. Many moons afterwards the warriors of the Sioux drove the Chippewa north to Lake Superior. One night while they were camped on the shores of Lake Minnetonka, they heard the waters singing a weird melody and, in the moon-path on the waters, two lilies appeared and grew to the skies. The lilies were the spirits of Moon Deer and Sun Deer.” (3)
While other native tales, such as that of Wawatosa Island are likely to have been entirely fabricated in an effort to drum up tourism to Minnetonka, there is a much higher likelihood that the story of Sun Deer & Moon Deer is a genuine native story. Works by Thurlow Lieurance can still be found online but, sadly, most recordings of “By the Waters of Minnetonka” are challenging to understand due to vintage recording equipment and the way in which the ballad is sung.
For your convenience, we have attached a link to the song below, which will open in a new tab on YouTube. We strongly recommend referring back to this article to read the lyrics alongside the music, as it can be difficult to follow along without them.
Lyrics:
Moon Deer, how near your soul divine.
Sun Deer, no fear in heart of mine.
Skies blue o'er you, Look down in love;
Waves bright give light as on they move.
Hear thou my vow to live, to die.
Moon Deer, thee near, beneath this sky.
Comments may be left below!
Bibliography of sources:
“By The Water of Minnetonka”, Sheet Music, Lieurance, 1913
Thurlow Lieurance Wiki, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thurlow_Lieurance#cite_note-library-5
Thurlow Lieurance Memorial Music Library, Wichita State University
Footnotes:
This article is a heavily modified version of one we published in both Tonka Living & Skipper Living Magazine’s February, 2026 edition. While we typically republish the articles here, identical to what is seen in the magazine, we felt there was much information left out of the original article for sake of conciseness.
The original song which Lieurance bases his work off of is either Sioux or Crow in origin. His notes don’t directly state which tribe originated the song.
The story quoted in Lieurance’s notes is not necessarily one to use when citing native occupation of the Minnetonka area. As someone who is not fully versed in that segment of our history, even I can attest to its inaccuracies of native history here.
