Matthew Tibbs-Shilling
Lacrosse is said to be the oldest sport in North American, created in the early 1600’s. Lacrosse is a tough sport, said to be a man’s sport, although played today by both men and women. The Native American’s created lacrosse before the European settlers came to their land. Lacrosse was played to resolve conflicts, heal the sick, a form of exercise, or even a form of war. The fields were from a ¼ mile in length to as large as 15 miles in length. Legend as it that sometimes there would be more then 1,000 men on each team. Some games would last for days.
The goal would sometimes be a tree or rock that the team would have to hit or 2 poles, tree or rocks that the teams would have to send the ball through. The ball was usually created by wood, rock/stone or even baked clay. The ball was usually very hard which caused many injuries. Sometimes death occurred from a ball striking a played in the head at a tremendous speed. Since the teams were so large in some games, you would be lucky to touch the ball. So most players try and hurt the opposing team with their sticks. At one point, some tribes put large lead weights at the end of there stick. They were known as skull-crackers. Soon after this Lacrosse was banned across Canada.
The Six Tribes of the Iroquois called Lacrosse "baggataway" or "tewaraathon". Their version of the game was a lot more organized. There were only 12-15 players on each team and field was usually only 120 meters in length. There were 3 different forms of Lacrosse played. The southeastern, Great Lakes, and Iroquoian. The southeastern tribes, which consist of Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw, Seminole and Yuchi, used a two sticks instead of the traditional one. Each stick was about two-and-a-half feet long and they used a soft, small deerskin ball. The Great Lakes consist of Ojibwe, menominee, Potawatomi, Winnebago, and Santee Dakota. They use the traditional stick that is about 3 feet long with a 3 to 4 inch net. They also use a slightly larger ball, which is usually made out of wood. The Iroquoian which consist of Mohawk, Seneca, and Onondaga. The Iroquoian use the longest out of the 3 sticks and their way of playing lacrosse still used today, with a few more rules and equipment.