Lacrosse – The Medicine Game or The Creator’s Game – has been growing increasingly popular in the USA and around the world. Far from a European invention, lacrosse (from the French de la crosse) finds its genesis in North America. Native Americans were playing many varieties of the medicine game long before an Italian hired by Spain ‘discovered’ the New World. While basic lacrosse play was fairly universal amongst nations, rules and equipment were as different as the peoples of the land. The Iroquois aka the Six Nations aka the Haudenosaunee Confederacy are the officially recognised architects of todays long stick lacrosse game.
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Modern lacrosse matches do not bear much similarity to a competition once used by the Cherokee for combat training. They called their version ‘little brother of war’ because of the strength and skill it took to survive a match. Native Americans did not meet on the village green for an hour or two to play a friendly game of toss and roll the ball around. Match fields were wide expanses of land with goal posts set miles apart from one another. Teams could number up to 1,000 people and games would last for days. It was brutal, vicious, the goal was to disable your opponent, not merely get past him or her in order to score a goal. Attendant ceremony and ritual practices varied depending upon the beliefs of the peoples playing.
Although competitors on today’s lacrosse teams no longer engage one another for the games original purposes, or are hauled off the playing field to get the Last Rites, lacrosse still inspires passion and ferocity. There are local, national and international leagues. Children, college students, adults . . . mens teams, womens teams, coed teams . . . indoor, outdoor . . . the world is in love with lacrosse. A fella is even able to try their luck at being part of a team representing his nation at the World Games. So long as he is not part of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy men’s international field lacrosse team – the Iroquois Nationals – that is.
The following men’s international field lacrosse teams were invited by the International World Games Association (IWGA) to compete at the 2022 World Games: Australia, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Israel, Japan and the United States. Ranked No. 3 in the world, the Iroquois Nationals did not receive an invitation. When inquiries were made by astonished team leaders and members of the press to find out why on earth the 2018 Men’s Field Lacrosse World Championship bronze medal winners (Canadian Lacrosse Association) would not be competing, and lower placed teams would be, the official response was that the Iroquois Nationals did not represent a sovereign nation. Therefore, according to International Olympic Committee rules, they were not eligible to play.
Unsurprisingly, that news was not well received or accepted.
“It was a disappointment and sort of boiled my blood,” says Lyle Thompson, an Iroquois Nationals player.
Lacrosse loyalists of all nationality were outraged and acted to find a solution. Over 50,000 signatures landed on a petition demanding that the Iroquois Nationals be invited to compete at the World Games. The IWGA took a second look, decided they’d erred and sought to include the Iroquois Nationals in the 2022 Games. Too late. Men’s international field lacrosse play is limited to eight teams, period. All eight of the previously invited nations were planning on being in Birmingham, July 2022. Young men on Team Iroquois Nationals were crushed.
“All my life lessons really come from the game of lacrosse. Playing in those medicine games, those traditional medicine games and using a traditional wooden stick,” said Thompson.
2022 would be the inaugural year for men’s international field lacrosse at the World Games. And, the Games are being held on home dirt, in Alabama. Family would have been able to travel, cheer them on to victory. Maybe, in four more years . . . Shaking off the dejection, the young men of the Iroquois Nationals turned their energies toward supporting Team USA. It is understandable that they were downright guffawed when World Lacrosse publicly announced that the Iroquois Nationals would be competing at the 2022 World Games, after all.
How could this be? The team line up was complete. Right?
“None of us would be going to Birmingham, Alabama in the first place if it wasn’t for the Iroquois and giving us the gift of their medicine game,” Sonny Campbell, a player for Ireland Lacrosse told NPR’s Morning Edition.
In a stunning act of selfless and unified respect Ireland Lacrosse voluntarily withdrew from the 2022 World Games, giving their team slot to the Iroquois Nationals. The IWGA confirmed that the Iroquois Nationals were eligible to compete. No objections were filed by the Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Lacrosse Association, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee or U.S. Lacrosse. They’re going.
“We recognized that there was a problem with us going and with the Iroquois being number three in the world and not being deemed eligible for this event,” said Catherine Conway, communications director for Ireland Lacrosse and assistant coach for the women’s senior national team. “We felt really strongly that just putting another graphic on social media saying we support the Iroquois was not the appropriate thing to do because talk is cheap. We very much felt that action was necessary.“
Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse tweeted a response:
To @IrelandLacrosse,
You have gone above and beyond not only for us, but for what you believe is right.
Your actions have spoken louder than words showing everyone the true power of sport, and the spirit of lacrosse.
We will never forget that.
I dteannta a chéile
#TogetherAsOne
There will be eight men’s international field lacrosse teams going for the gold at the July 2022 World Games in Birmingham AL: Australia, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Israel, Japan, USA and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.
“The Iroquois Nationals are going to put together the best team the world has ever seen, and representing not just the Iroquois Nationals, but Ireland lacrosse also,” Lyle Thompson says.
I believe him. 🙂