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Hi Sheena,
Thanks for
choosing to stand together! Here is Daily Fact #5:
In 1843, a group from Montreal became the first
settlers to challenge a First Nations team in the First Nations sport of
lacrosse. The Mohawk players won.
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Share
this fact to
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Remember, there
are also issues backgrounders, lesson plans and other great resources on the We
Stand Together Resources webpage!
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Lacrosse is one
of Canada’s national sports. It was invented as early as the 12th century by
First Nations Peoples and was played across North America. The game originally
involved hundreds of players and would continue for several days.
The
French called the game “Lacrosse,” referring to the curved wooden stick that
players used. Various First Nations’ terms reflected the way the sport was
played, including “Dehuntshigwa’es” in the Onondaga language, meaning “men hit a
rounded object” and “Tewaarathon” in the Mohawk language, meaning “little
brother of war”. Rooted in legend and spiritual tradition, the game was also
used to settle arguments between tribes, to build the strength and skill of
young warriors and to celebrate and give thanks to the Gods. Players would take
part in a spiritual ceremony to get ready for the game. This was similar to the
way they would prepare for war.
During
the early 19th century, lacrosse began to draw the attention of not only the
North American settlers, but Europeans as well. It wasn’t until the 1980s,
however, that First Nations teams were allowed to enter international
competitions, beginning with the Iroquois Nationals team representing the
Haudenosaunee (the Iroquois Confederacy). Today, lacrosse is one of the world’s
fastest growing sports, with more than half a million players around the
world.
For
more info, check out:
Thomas
Vennum Jr. American Indian Lacrosse: Little Brother of War
http://www.uslacrosse.org/museum/history.phtml
http://iroquoisnationals.org |
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The Canadian Encyclopedia has an interesting article on the history of lacrosse, too: http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/lacrosse
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