Lacrosse And The Indigenous
Canada's Summer Sport has a long history
Since 1994, lacrosse has been the national summer sport of Canada. As many people know though, the history of lacrosse goes much farther back.
What we know as modern lacrosse didn’t emerge until the late-19th century, but today we are looking at the pre-colonial history of lacrosse.
Lacrosse was played by a wide assortment of Indigenous nations, and it is likely the oldest team sports game in North America. It was found throughout modern Canada, but was most popularly played around the Great Lakes region and into the American South.
Indigenous nations had different names for the game as well:
The Onondaga called it dehontsigwaehs (they bump hips)
The Mohawk called it tewaaraton (little brother of war)
The Ojibwe called it baaga’adowe (bump hips)
The Choctaw called it kabocha.
The Algonquin called the sport baggataway
The French called the game la crosse because the stick looked like a staff carried by Church bishops. Over time, la crosse became lacrosse.
A typical game of lacrosse in the pre-colonial era could last for days and the number of competitors taking part numbered 100 to 1,000. The participants were opposing villages and Indigenous nations, running on a playing field that was as small as 460 metres and as long as 9.7 kilometres.
Rules were not set in stone, and decided before the game began. Generally though, the game had no out-of-bounds, no one could put their hands on a ball, and the goal typically large rocks or trees.
Medicine men served as coaches, and women tended to the players. While women didn’t play in the game, they had their own version called amtahcha, which used shorter sticks.
As the game was seen as a version of war, pregame rituals were similar to the rituals of war. Rituals could delay the start of a game, as players may go to the water first to dunk their sticks in, or get a blessing from a shaman, or receive ceremonial scratches on their arms and torsos.
Players decorated their bodies with paint and charcoal, and they chose sticks that represented a quality they wanted for a game.
The game kicked off with a ball tossed in the air and a huge mob of players swarmed the ball. The ball was typically not passed as it was seen as a trick, and it was considered cowardly to dodge a hit from another player.
The early lacrosse ball was made of wood or deerskin stuffed with hair and measured three-inches in diameter. Lacrosse sticks looked like large wooden spoons with no netting sometimes. Some men treasured their lacrosse stick so much that they were buried with it.
The players wore no form of protective equipment.
Once the game was over, and the wagers had been paid, a huge ceremonial dance was held and a large feast was given for the very hungry players.
Lacrosse played a very important role in the community and religious life of the Indigenous for centuries. It had a deep spiritual involvement and was often played for The Creator. The game itself was seen as a gift from The Creator. It was believed by some Indigenous nations, like the Haudenosaunee that The Creator watched the games and took in the fun.
Lacrosse even comes into an Ojibwa legend for why birds go south in the winter. In the story, there was no winter in the distant pass. Summers were always warm and sunny.
In this world, a loon named Mong played games and loved to play lacrosse but he could never find friends to play it with him. He decided to challenge the other birds to a match but only Kaikak the hawk accepted. Mong’s team lost every game and the penalty for losing was that the north wind would bring a cold winter each year, forcing Mong and his friends to go south.