Lacrosse has its origins in a tribal game played primarily by Northeastern and Southeastern Indigenous nations. It was also played by some Plains Indians tribes in what is now the United States of America and Canada. The game was extensively modified by European settlers to create its current collegiate and professional form. For many Indigenous nations, lacrosse is a spiritual and cultural practice. Some nations refer to lacrosse as the “Creator’s Game,” because of how it connects tribe members and creates a sense of community.
The Indigenous game was played on a large scale sometimes involving hundreds of men. The game began with the ball being tossed into the air and the two sides rushing to catch it. Because of the large number of players involved, these games generally tended to involve a huge mob of players swarming the ball and slowly moving across the field. Passing the ball was thought of as a trick, and it was seen as cowardly to dodge an opponent. Years later lacrosse is still a popular sport played all over the world. The Indigenous people would wear their normal clothes while playing the game. Using a wooden stick, they would play the game with 100–1000 players on each team, on 1.5- to 2-kilometer fields.
Indigenous North American game
Modern day lacrosse descends from and resembles games played by various Native American communities. - Different Indigenous nations and historical sources, especially those written by early European observers, tell different stories about traditional lacrosse.. There were differences in styles of lacrosse depending on the region and that is what these descriptions show. Different rules for different tribes etc. Unique forms of stickball were developed by indigenous communities which were shaped by geography, cultural traditions among other things. These include games called or in Onondaga ("they bump hips", pronounced "de-yoon-chee-gwa-eh"), tewa:aráton in Mohawk language ("it has a dual net", pronounced "de–wa–ah–lah–doon"), baaga`adowe in Ojibwe ("bump hips"), and Ishtaboli or kapucha toli ("little brother of war") in Choctaw.
Lacrosse is one of the oldest team sports in North America. There is evidence that a version of lacrosse originated in what is now Canada as early as the 17th century, however for Indigenous communities, the game is a tradition that has been around since time immemorial.Vennum, Thomas. American Indian Lacrosse: Little Brother of War. (Smithsonian Institution, 1994) SBN 978-1560983026.Liss, Howard. Lacrosse (Funk & Wagnalls, 1970) p. 13. Native American lacrosse was played throughout modern Canada, but was most popular around the Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic seaboard, and American South.
Traditional lacrosse games were sometimes major events that could last several days. As many as 100 to 1,000 men from opposing villages or tribes would participate. The games were played in open plains located between the two villages, and the goals could range from to apart.
Rules for these games were decided on the day before. Generally, there were no out-of-bounds, and the ball could not be touched with the hands. The goals would be selected as large rocks or trees; in later years wooden posts were used. Playing time was often from sunup until sundown.
Lacrosse played in the Northeast by nations such as the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), was played with one stick, whereas Southeastern nations, such as the Cherokee played stickball (lacrosse) with two smaller sticks. This meant that Northeastern stickball relied more on passing the ball to teammates in order to score, which is similar to modern lacrosse. In contrast, Southeastern stickball relied less on passing the ball and more on throwing the ball toward the scoring pole with hopes that a teammate would reach it first to score. The larger pockets (net area) of the Northeastern stickball sticks made catching the ball easier, which was a nearly impossible task in the much smaller, shallower pockets of Southeastern stickball sticks. In the Southeastern two-stick version there were traditionally three areas of scoring on the stickball pole. There would be a mark, about chest high on the pole, which, when the ball hit above this mark, would award one point. Contact below that point was not scored. The top half of the pole, well above arms' reach, was usually worth two points when hit. The very top of the pole, usually embellished with a large figure of a fish or other sacred animal, was worth three points. In recreational games, scoring was loosely kept, most times by the audience or a few players. Games typically would reach around twenty points before concluding. The Iroquois and Great Lakes styles would use poles or goalposts. Play styles varied depending on the indigenous nation. Northeastern nations emphasized strategy like passing and working as a team using only one stick and a larger net.. In nations more south stickball was often played with two short sticks and there was a greater value placed on individual play and movement
The game began with the ball being tossed into the air and the two sides rushing to catch it. Because of the large number of players involved, these games generally tended to involve a huge mob of players swarming the ball and slowly moving across the field. Passing the ball was thought of as a trick, and it was seen as cowardly to dodge an opponent.Liss, Howard. Lacrosse (Funk & Wagnalls, 1970) pg 10.
The medicine men acted as coaches, and the women of the tribe would usually tend to players and cheer them on as well as sang while the men played.Culin, Stewart. Games of the North American Indians (Dover Publications, 1907) . pp. 580, 607. There was also a women's version of lacrosse called amtahcha in some areas, which used much shorter sticks with larger heads. Another version that women played instead amongst the Iroquois and Eastern Woodland area was double ball.Culin, Stewart. Games of the North American Indians (Dover Publications, 1907) . pg 596. Women in some Native American nations also played traditional forms of stickball, but the rules and styles of play were very different from one community to the next.
Lacrosse traditionally had many different purposes. Some games were played to settle inter-tribal disputes. This function was essential to keeping the Six Nations of the Iroquois together. Lacrosse was also played to toughen young warriors for combat, for recreation, as part of festivals, and for the bets involved. Finally, lacrosse was played for religious reasons: "for the pleasure of the Creator," and to collectively pray for something.
Rituals
Pregame rituals were very similar to rituals associated with war. Players would decorate their bodies with paint and charcoal. Players also decorated their sticks or stick racks with objects representing qualities desired in the game. Strict taboos were held on what players could eat before a game, and the medicine man performed rituals to prepare players and their sticks. The night before a game, players wore ceremonial regalia and held a special dance. Sacrifices were held, and sacred expressions were yelled to intimidate opponents.Culin, Stewart. Games of the North American Indians (Dover Publications, 1907) . pg 563-577.
On the day of the game, teams walked to the field and were slowed by constant rituals. Sometimes players would receive ceremonial scratches on their arms or torso.Culin, Stewart. Games of the North American Indians (Dover Publications, 1907) . p. 580.
Before the game, every player was required to place a wager. Items such as handkerchiefs, knives, trinkets and horses were part of the wager. The bets would be displayed on a rack near the spectators, and items would be awarded proportionally to the winner of each quarter.Culin, Stewart. Games of the North American Indians (Dover Publications, 1907) . pg 584.Conover, Adele. "Little Brother of War." Smithsonian Dec 1997: p. 32.
When the game was over ceremonial dance took place, along with a large feast for the hungry players.
Equipment
Some early lacrosse balls were fashioned out of wood. Others were made of deerskin stuffed with hair. They were typically three inches in diameter.Culin, Stewart. Games of the North American Indians (Dover Publications, 1907) . p. 563.
The first lacrosse sticks were essentially giant wooden spoons with no netting.Culin, Stewart. Games of the North American Indians (Dover Publications, 1907) . p. 594. - The first of the lacrosse sticks were very closely related and tied into the culture and knowledge of the craftsmen within the tribe. Sticks were made by hand from wood and were shaped and formed through a steaming process, while the netting was made from animal sinew.. More often than not designs showcased identity and could also carry spiritual or personal importance for that player. Great Lakes style sticks had one end bent into a circle, which was filled with netting.Culin, Stewart. Games of the North American Indians (Dover Publications, 1907) . pg 566. This netting was made of wattup or deer sinew.Liss, Howard. Lacrosse (Funk & Wagnalls, 1970) pg 9. The Iroquois and Eastern Woodland style sticks use a U-shape instead of a circle.
These sticks were bent into shape after being softened through steaming, and lengths typically ranged from 2 to . Lacrosse sticks often had elaborate carvings on them intended to help players in the game. Lacrosse sticks were so treasured that many players requested to be buried with their stick beside them upon death.
Some versions of lacrosse used unusual stick designs. In the St. Lawrence Valley a version was played in which the head took up two thirds of the stick. In the Southwestern United States a double-stick version was played with sticks about two and a half feet long.
No protective equipment was worn in traditional lacrosse. When looking at modern day lacrosse it holds endless amounts of cultural significance for many indigenous nations. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy fields a national team that competed on the international stage, which helps to reflect the ongoing important of lacrosse. There are efforts to keep stickball active in a few nations, where lacrosse persists as a cultural practice and also a teaching vessel for younger members.
European involvement
The first westerners to encounter lacrosse were French Jesuit missionaries in the St. Lawrence Valley. During the 1630s, they witnessed the game and condemned it. They were opposed to lacrosse because it was violent, betting was involved, and it was part of the religion they sought to eradicate.
One missionary, Jean de Brébeuf, was the first to write about lacrosse and thus gave it its name. He described the Wendat (Huron) in present-day Ontario playing "crosse" in 1637. Some say the name originated from the French term for field hockey, le jeu de la crosse.
Despite Jesuit opposition, many other European colonists were intrigued by lacrosse. Betting on games became common, and by around 1740 many French colonists were taking up the game. However, they were unable to beat the Native Americans.
James Smith described in some detail a game being played in 1757 by his fellow tribe members "wherein they used a wooden ball, about three inches diameter, and the instrument they moved it with was a strong staff about five feet long, with a hoop net on the end of it, large enough to contain the ball."
In 1763, Ojibwas used a lacrosse game to capture Fort Michilimackinac (now Mackinaw City, Michigan). Natives invited the fort's British troops to watch a lacrosse game. The players gradually worked their way close to the gates, and then rushed into the fort and carried out a general massacre.Hodge, Frederick Webb. Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, in two parts, Part 1; Washington, Government Printing Office. 1907. PAGE 127.