Lacrosse is the oldest organized sports in North America…and was first played by indigenous tribes as early as 1100 A.D. The Haudenosaunee (pronounced Hoad-Nah-Shaw-Nee) people described it as "the animals of the forest gathered for a great ballgame."
But, LA Times reporter David Wharton writes that the game invented by indigenous people nearly a thousand years ago, is now trying to keep them out.
The Haudenosaunee are a confederacy of six different nations that are scattered mostly through New York and Canada. A long time ago, they were at war and a prophet called “the peacemaker” brought them together and they formed the Haudenosaunee confederacy and that exists to this day.
The Haudenosaunee are the ones who invented lacrosse with the help of some of their woodland friends.
“They tell the story about this great game that was going to be between the four-legged animals on one side and the birds, eagles, and owls on the other side. Just before the game was about to start a little mouse and squirrel went up to the birds and said 'they won’t let them play because they were too small.' And, the birds cut some leather from a ceremonial drum and made little wings for the mouse, and that’s how we got the bat," said LA Times reporter David Wharton.
"And then they couldn’t find any more leather so thy grabbed the squirrel and stretched the skin from its side, and that’s how we got the flying squirrel. They were allowed to play and lo and behold, at the very end of the game the bird team won.”
French settlers were the first colonizers to find out about the game. It is called lacrosse because it reminds the French settlers of a crozier that the bishops carry. Particularly in the last 20 years, lacrosse has gotten more popular in the U.S. with more college teams, high school teams, and youth clubs playing it now.
The way Wharton would describe lacrosse is by comparing it to soccer.
“Imagine a soccer field with two smaller goals on either end. The players have these sticks that have webbing on the end. They have a hard rubber ball they pass back and forth, and they’re just trying to get down the other end of the field while the other team is guarding them, and get an open shot and score past the goalie," said Wharton.
"It’s a little bit like hockey. It could be beautiful in some ways but it can also be violent. There’s a lot of hitting and you can jab at other players with your stick but it’s pretty fast-moving—it’s a really fun sport to watch.”
The Haudenosaunee view the game as a gift from their creator and approach it with joyfulness. The “clear mind,” as they call it, seeks to block anger and worry, transforming an often-violent endeavor into something more artful.
Their homegrown squad, the Iroquois Nationals say lacrosse is in their blood.
“When you talk to players from U.S. teams, Canadian teams or Ireland, and Australia —they talk about the fact that these guys do things with a lacrosse stick that nobody else does. And they say it’s because it’s an extension of their body. They’ve had this in their hands since they were toddlers. So, they’re very creative and play a very fluid style game. And, the other players respect them for that,” said Wharton.
The reason why people do not know much about the Iroquois Nationals is because the Haudenosaunee sees themselves as a sovereign nation. They want to play under their name, flag, and they want to carry their own passports.
“The passports are a problem. When they went to the world championships in England in 2010, it was after 9/11 and England said they wanted to have stricter travel regulations and they didn’t let the Nationals in. At the time, Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State and she tried to get in the way to help the Nationals, but it didn’t work and they didn’t play,” said Wharton.
The other problem is regarding the Olympics. They have a rule that to be a nation, you have to be internationally recognized. And, they don’t see the Haudenosaunee confederacy as internationally recognized. Therefore, they don't get to play sometimes in these big tournaments.
One quick update to this story. In a show of great sportsmanship —Ireland’s lacrosse team withdrew from the 2022 World Games, allowing the Iroquois lacrosse team to take its place.