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Welcome to VOICE POWER Season 6 Episode 8. This week I will be talking about Canada’s National Sport, Lacrosse. Describing: the history from the Aboriginal Nations & noting important historical dates. The Inter City Lacrosse League, The Western Lacrosse Association, Rule changes, & my 10 year experience of playing in The Nanaimo Minor Lacrosse System will be included in part2.
Lacrosse is the oldest team sport in North America beginning 1,000 years ago. It is called the CREATOR’s Game. Lacrosse is more than a sport, it is a spiritual practice a formal substitute for warfare. Games were played between various indigenous nations. In order to settle territorial disputes, resolving grievances, & hardening young men for combat. The values learned were bravery, endurance, & honour.
Aboriginal Nations that fought & played were: Haud-no-saunee (Iroquois Confederacy, including the Mohawk and On-ondaga) they were located across present-day New York State (from the Mohawk Valley to the Gen-e-see River), and into parts of Quebec and Ontario in Canada. Cherokee, Choctaw(in the Southeastern Nations), O-jib-way, Cree, Algonquin, and Huron from distinct territories across the Great Lakes and Subarctic regions. in the Great lakes & Plains Tribes : Odawa known as (Ottawa)
Let’s look at how the aboriginal wars were played. The playing field was humongously spread over miles of open terrain between the villages. The goals were miles apart 500 yards to 6 miles apart. Instead of a standard field, games were often played over vast open plains or dense forests between two villages, spanning distances up to 6 miles or 9.7 km. Matches lasted from sunrise to sunset & sometimes 2 to 3 days. There were brutal scrums to control the ball creating, fatalities, broken bones, & severe injuries.
Way back then the lacrosse ball’s composition varied from: carved wood, stuffed rawhide or deer skin, solid clay or stone baked clay balls. The evolution of the rubber ball changed the safety & speed of the game. The hard rubber ball was not used in traditional Aboriginal lacrosse. The rubber ball was introduced in 1860 by Dr. William George Beers, a Montreal dentist who codified the sport into the modern game to standardize play for settlers.
The spiritual significance of the lacrosse equipment is the wood sticks symbolized the spirit of the living forest. The hide & hair carried spirit, speed & agility of the hunted animals. The creation of the Haud-no-saunee wood lacrosse stick was very labour intensive. Transforming a living tree to an extension of the warriors body. Todays’ plastic lacrosse sticks takes minutes to make. The traditional wood stick takes months & at times a full year to make. My wood lacrosse stick DELUXE SPECIAL shows PRINTED on it Indian Hand Made. The solid wood stick is carved from hickory & the net or pocket made of leather runners and nylon or synthetic string. Historically, this webbing was made using natural animal products like deer sinew and rawhide. There is deep spiritual symbolism tying plant & animal life to the earth. The aboriginals played for ceremonial healing & conflict resolution.
Now let’s look at important historical dates of lacrosse history. In 1859 DENTIST Dr. George Beers declared LACROSSE as Canada’s national Game. In 1867 July 1st Canada became a nation & now we are 159 years old. Lacrosse is written into the very depth of our nation. Before we became a nation, in 1867 April 27th The National Lacrosse Association began unifying the rules. Dr George Beers led the Association.
On May 12, 1974 The Canadian Government passed The National Sports of Canada ACT. Naming Lacrosse as Canada’s official Summer Sport & HOCKEY as Canada’s Official Winter Sport.
In part 2 i will describe the beginning of The Inter City Lacrosse League & how it developed into todays’ WESTERN Lacrosse Association which currently is in it’s 92nd season. I will bring you up to date on rule changes which increased the speed & the flow of the game.& created more scoring, along with my experience playing in the NANAIMO Minor lacrosse system.
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Earl Thomas "The VOICE"
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