The Origins, Appropriation, and Reclamation of Lacrosse
Long before it became a school sport, had a shot clock, or appeared on television, lacrosse was played by Indigenous Nations across Turtle Island. Archaeological evidence and oral histories trace its origins back centuries. It was not a single game but many, each with its own name, rules, and meaning: tewaarathon for the Haudenosaunee, baaga’adowe for the Ojibwe, and kapócha tóli for the Choctaw.
For the Haudenosaunee, lacrosse is the Creator’s Game, a gift with deep spiritual significance. Known as the medicine game, it has been played for healing, diplomacy, and gratitude to the spirit world. Traditional games could involve hundreds of players and last an entire day or longer. Rick Hill (Tuscarora), co-founder of the Iroquois Nationals, said that playing well “contributed to its ability to entertain or to cure.” Even today, traditional lacrosse sticks are given to some Haudenosaunee children at a young age, reflecting a connection to the game that begins early in life.
Colonization transformed the game. In 1867, Montreal dentist William George Beers codified a set of rules for lacrosse and helped establish the National Lacrosse Association. As organized lacrosse developed, Indigenous players faced increasing exclusion, and by 1880 they were barred from championship competition. Assimilation policies, including the residential school system, further disrupted traditional relationships with the game.
Today, the Haudenosaunee Nationals demonstrate that this connection was never erased. Competing internationally under their own identity, they stand among the world’s best. Their goal is to compete under their own flag when lacrosse returns to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028. Both the U.S. and Canadian governments have supported their inclusion, but a pathway for the Haudenosaunee Nationals to compete as their own team has yet to be secured.
This is about more than sport. It is about identity and sovereignty. For the Haudenosaunee, lacrosse remains medicine, ceremony, and the Creator’s Game. Each time the Haudenosaunee Nationals take the field under their own flag, they demonstrate that erasure failed. The game survived, and so did its people.
Sources: Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian; Haudenosaunee Nationals; World Lacrosse; The Canadian Encyclopedia.
George Catlin, Ball-play of the Choctaw-Ball Down, 1834-1835, oil on canvas, 19 5⁄8 x 27 5⁄8 in. (49.7 x 70.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.429
