How does lacrosse connect to Haudenosaunee culture and identity. Why is the Iroquois Nationals team significant in international sports. What challenges have they faced in competing on the global stage. How does the team embody traditional values and teachings.
The Origins and Cultural Significance of Lacrosse in Haudenosaunee Culture
Lacrosse holds a sacred place in Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) culture, with roots stretching back over a millennium. For the six nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy – Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora – lacrosse is far more than just a sport. It is a spiritual practice, a medicine game, and a vital means of passing on cultural knowledge and values to younger generations.
According to Haudenosaunee oral tradition, lacrosse was a gift from the Creator, intended to promote physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing among the people. The game serves as a powerful vehicle for teaching important life lessons and cultural values to youth.
Key Aspects of Lacrosse in Haudenosaunee Culture:
- Spiritual significance as a medicine game
- Tool for promoting health and wellness
- Means of instructing youth in cultural values
- Connection to Haudenosaunee creation stories and oral traditions
- Embodiment of core values like peace, friendship, and healing
For the Haudenosaunee, lacrosse transcends the boundaries between sport, spirituality, and cultural identity. It is a living link to their ancestral traditions and a powerful assertion of their continued cultural vitality in the modern world.
The Iroquois Nationals: Ambassadors of Haudenosaunee Culture and Sovereignty
The Iroquois Nationals lacrosse team holds a unique position in the world of international sports. As the national team of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, they are the only Indigenous national sports team to compete at the international level. This status makes them powerful ambassadors for both Haudenosaunee culture and the concept of Indigenous sovereignty on the global stage.
The team’s participation in international competitions is a testament to the Haudenosaunee Confederacy’s status as a sovereign nation. By fielding their own national team, separate from the United States or Canada, the Haudenosaunee assert their right to self-determination and their distinct cultural identity.
Significance of the Iroquois Nationals:
- Embody Haudenosaunee cultural values and traditions
- Assert Indigenous sovereignty through sports
- Promote awareness of Haudenosaunee culture globally
- Inspire Indigenous youth through athletic excellence
- Challenge conventional notions of nationality in international sports
The Iroquois Nationals serve as a powerful symbol of Indigenous resilience, cultural pride, and the ongoing struggle for recognition and self-determination. Their success on the international stage brings attention to Haudenosaunee culture and history, while also highlighting contemporary Indigenous issues.
Challenges and Triumphs: The Iroquois Nationals’ Journey in International Competition
Despite their undeniable skill and the deep cultural significance of lacrosse to the Haudenosaunee people, the Iroquois Nationals have faced numerous challenges in their quest to compete at the highest levels of international lacrosse. These obstacles have ranged from logistical issues related to travel documents to more fundamental questions about their status as a national team.
One of the most significant challenges came in 2010 when the team was unable to travel to the World Lacrosse Championship in England due to passport issues. The Haudenosaunee issue their own passports, which were not recognized by British authorities, leading to a diplomatic standoff that ultimately prevented the team from competing.
More recently, the team faced exclusion from the 2022 World Games, where lacrosse was making its debut. Initially left out due to not having a National Olympic Committee, the Iroquois Nationals mounted a successful campaign to secure their rightful place in the competition.
Key Challenges Faced by the Iroquois Nationals:
- Travel document and passport recognition issues
- Questions about their status as a national team
- Initial exclusion from the 2022 World Games
- Navigating complex international sports bureaucracies
- Balancing traditional values with competitive pressures
Despite these challenges, the Iroquois Nationals have persevered, consistently ranking among the top lacrosse teams in the world. Their struggles and triumphs serve as a powerful metaphor for the broader Indigenous rights movement, highlighting both the obstacles faced by Indigenous peoples and their resilience in overcoming them.
The Philosophy of Interconnectedness: A Key to Iroquois Nationals’ Success
The remarkable success of the Iroquois Nationals in international lacrosse competition can be attributed in large part to the team’s deep-rooted philosophy of interconnectedness. This worldview, drawn from traditional Haudenosaunee teachings, emphasizes the fundamental unity of all aspects of life and the importance of balance and harmony.
In the context of lacrosse, this philosophy manifests in a highly cohesive and selfless style of play. Players are taught to view their opponents not as enemies, but as fellow participants in a sacred tradition who help them grow and improve. This perspective fosters a unique approach to competition that balances the desire to win with a deep respect for the game and all who play it.
Key Aspects of the Interconnectedness Philosophy:
- Emphasis on team unity and collective success
- Respect for opponents as teachers and partners
- Balance between competitive drive and spiritual values
- Recognition of both positive and negative experiences as necessary for growth
- Integration of lacrosse principles into broader life teachings
This philosophy of interconnectedness extends beyond the playing field, influencing how team members approach their roles as cultural ambassadors and role models for Indigenous youth. It provides a framework for maintaining cultural identity and values while engaging with the modern world of international sports.
Lacrosse as a Vehicle for Cultural Preservation and Education
For the Haudenosaunee, lacrosse serves as a powerful tool for cultural preservation and education. The game provides a tangible link to ancestral traditions and offers a means of passing on important cultural knowledge and values to younger generations. Through lacrosse, Haudenosaunee youth learn not only athletic skills but also critical lessons about their heritage, spirituality, and place in the world.
The Iroquois Nationals team plays a crucial role in this educational process. By competing at the international level, they bring Haudenosaunee culture to a global audience, raising awareness of their history and traditions. At the same time, they serve as inspiring role models for Indigenous youth, demonstrating the power of embracing one’s cultural identity.
Educational Aspects of Lacrosse in Haudenosaunee Culture:
- Transmission of oral traditions and creation stories
- Teaching of cultural values such as respect, humility, and gratitude
- Instruction in traditional Haudenosaunee spiritual practices
- Development of leadership skills and community responsibility
- Promotion of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being
By intertwining athletic excellence with cultural education, the Haudenosaunee ensure that lacrosse remains a living tradition, continuously renewed and reinterpreted by each generation. This approach helps to preserve the integrity of Haudenosaunee culture while allowing it to evolve and remain relevant in the modern world.
The Spiritual Dimensions of Lacrosse: More Than Just a Game
In Haudenosaunee culture, lacrosse transcends the boundaries of sport, embodying deep spiritual and ceremonial significance. Known as the “Creator’s Game” or the “Medicine Game,” lacrosse is viewed as a gift from the Creator, intended to bring healing, unity, and spiritual renewal to the people.
This spiritual dimension is evident in many aspects of how the game is approached and played. Before major games, traditional ceremonies are often performed to honor the Creator and seek guidance. Players may carry medicine bundles or engage in personal rituals to prepare themselves spiritually for the game.
Spiritual Aspects of Lacrosse in Haudenosaunee Culture:
- Connection to creation stories and cosmology
- Use of the game for healing and conflict resolution
- Integration of traditional ceremonies and rituals
- Emphasis on playing with a “good mind” and pure intentions
- View of the game as a form of prayer or communion with the Creator
For Haudenosaunee players, including members of the Iroquois Nationals, this spiritual foundation provides a deeper purpose and motivation beyond mere athletic achievement. It infuses their play with a sense of cultural pride and responsibility, driving them to represent their people and traditions with honor and integrity.
Looking to the Future: The Iroquois Nationals and Indigenous Self-Determination
As the Iroquois Nationals continue to compete at the highest levels of international lacrosse, they carry with them the hopes and aspirations of not only the Haudenosaunee people but of Indigenous communities around the world. Their success and perseverance in the face of challenges serve as a powerful symbol of Indigenous resilience and self-determination.
Looking to the future, the team faces both opportunities and challenges. The growing global popularity of lacrosse offers increased visibility for Haudenosaunee culture and traditions. However, it also brings pressures to conform to standardized international sports practices that may not always align with traditional values.
Key Considerations for the Future of the Iroquois Nationals:
- Balancing tradition with the evolving landscape of international sports
- Continuing to assert sovereignty through sports diplomacy
- Inspiring and mentoring the next generation of Indigenous athletes
- Leveraging increased visibility to advocate for Indigenous rights
- Preserving the spiritual and cultural integrity of lacrosse amid commercialization
As they navigate these challenges, the Iroquois Nationals remain committed to their role as ambassadors of Haudenosaunee culture and champions of Indigenous self-determination. Their journey continues to inspire and educate, demonstrating the power of sport to transcend boundaries and promote cultural understanding.
The story of the Iroquois Nationals is far more than a sports narrative; it is a testament to the enduring strength of Indigenous cultures and their capacity to adapt and thrive in the modern world. As they compete on the global stage, they carry with them the wisdom of their ancestors and the hopes of future generations, embodying the timeless spirit of the Creator’s Game.
Celebrating Native American Heritage Month with Rex Lyons
– Honey Stinger
Native American Heritage Month: Maintaining Identity
When Rex Lyons was a teenager, he excelled at lacrosse. At age 17, he made the Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse Team. Word of Rex’s superior skill and performance as an attackman spread throughout the Onondaga Nation, and he began to feel special.
The nation’s Clan Mother sat Rex down. “You played a great game the other night,” she told him. “But you know, I’ve been hearing things.”
The Clan Mother’s tone changed. “You’re a lacrosse player, and a good one. This community loves the gift the Creator gave you,” she explained. “But it’s a gift. It’s not for you. You have to respect it and take care of it.”
Rex could feel his ego subsiding. “You,” the Clan Mother made clear, “are not special. The game is special.”
The Onondaga Nation is one of six in upper New York state comprising the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (who the French called Iroquois and the English called Six Nations).
The other nations are the Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora. Lacrosse was gifted to the Haudenosaunee by the Creator over a thousand years ago as a Medicine Game promoting health, wellness, and spiritual activity.
Looking back through history, there weren’t many (if any) team sports. Onlookers were struck by this extraordinary game and culture. For Rex, lacrosse is about the common good. It’s fundamental to the Haudenosaunee and it’s part of their instruction process for their children.
When Haudenosaunee players shake hands with opponents after a game, they’re giving thanks. They’re thanking opponents who challenged them, made them dig deep, find their courage, and test their limits. In this way, opponents are also teammates. “We have wins and losses,” Rex says. “We’re human, not perfect. We play with a good mind and an open heart, and we try to do better the next time.”
Lacrosse is a great way to teach youth that life is not all good, good all the time, or instantly good.
It takes a lot of hard work and discipline to succeed. Just as the Haudenosaunee use lacrosse for instruction, they also use stories and their oral traditions.
Rex remembers a story an elder wiseman once told him. “Imagine that everything good is in your right leg,” the wiseman said. “In your left leg is disappointment, death, illness—everything bad. When you try to hop around on your right leg, you can’t get far.” We have two legs and need both for life’s journey. We experience both good and bad.
This philosophy of interconnectedness is what makes the Iroquois Nationals so good at lacrosse. The Haudenosaunee are governed by the key values of peace, friendship, and healing, and it’s evident they don’t compartmentalize.
As a sovereign nation, the Haudenosaunee have been fighting for their independence since the first European landfall. The struggle has presented challenges on all fronts, even in international sport competition. Given the political landscape and no National Olympic Committee of their own, the Iroquois Nationals were excluded from the World Games for lacrosse’s inaugural inclusion to the 2022 World Games.
The Iroquois Nationals challenged this decision and, with global support, won their rightful place in the World Games. “We’re a sovereign nation ranked third in the world,” Rex says. “With lacrosse being our game, we belong in the World Games. We belong anywhere our gift to the world is being played.”
As we recognize and pay tribute to the ancestry and traditions of Native Americans this month, we can see how the Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse Team and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy’s mandate are integral to the sport of lacrosse and all who play and watch. Lacrosse is not just a sport. It’s a history lesson, a timeless story, and a vehicle for self-determination.
“Stay true to who you are,” Rex says, “and play on.”
Rex Lyons, a member of the Eel Clan of the Onondaga Nation, is a former player and current Board Member of the Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse Team. Rex is also President and Spokesperson for the Iroquois Nationals Development Group, a nonprofit whose mission is: To prepare our Haudenosaunee and Indigenous youth for international competition, raise awareness of the traditional and cultural aspects of the game of lacrosse, and expose our players to educational opportunities.
Iroquois, inventors of lacrosse, bring its World Cup home
Sep 25, 2015 — by
David Sommerstein (News Director)
, in Onondaga, NY
The Iroquois Nationals are hoping to finally defeat their nemesis, Canada. Photo: Coyote Magic Action Shots
Listen
Sep 25, 2015 — The semifinals of the World Indoor Lacrosse Championship get underway Friday night at the Onondaga Nation arena, south of Syracuse. Defending champion Canada faces Israel. The Iroquois Nationals – made up of members of the six Iroquois nations – is playing the United States.
The tournament is like the World Cup of box lacrosse. It’s held every four years, and this time it’s making history. It’s the first time an international sports tournament is being hosted on sovereign indigenous land. And, on the Onondaga reservation the game is – literally – religion.
It’s a sold out crowd at the Tsha’Hon’nonyen’dakhwa’ Arena – Onondaga for “where they play games.
” Twelve countries are competing for the gold medal, including a varied mix of countries like Israel, Turkey, and Serbia, along with the sport’s powerhouses, the United States, Canada, and the Iroquois Nationals.
The Nationals are known for creative, lightning-quick play, and on this night, they’re on their way to dismantling England, 20-6. The team’s goalie is veteran Mike Thompson, from Akwesasne, who’s won professional championships with the Buffalo Bandits.
Driving the offense is another family of Thompsons, four Onondaga brothers who grew up just five minutes from this arena. They’re rising stars in one of America’s fastest growing sports. “They’re really fast moving and high energy, but it’s not like they’re really selfish. They pass,” says 11 year-old Miles Farrington, who came here from Kensington, Maryland, near Washington, D.C. Farrington is wearing a Thompson Brothers t-shirt with their trademark logo, a feather and a long black hair braid in the shape of a T.
Farrington went to one of the lacrosse camps the Thompsons hold across the country.
He loves one of their signature moves. “They come across the crease, and they’ll turn around and crank it behind the back,” he says with a big grin.
The Thompsons have their own apparel line, their own Nike cleat coming this fall. But in the glare of the sports spotlight, the brothers are known for their humility rooted in the ancient traditions of the game.
Lyle Thompson’s Tewaraaton award for best U.S. colleagiate player is displayed alongside the Thompson Brothers apparel. The brothers have become major ambassadors of the sport. Photo: David Sommerstein.
I caught up with Lyle Thompson as he relaxed on the bench after a practice. He won the Tewaraaton award for best U.S. collegiate player twice, in 2014 with his brother, Miles Thompson. “It’s special, just to have the world games be held here,” says Lyle Thompson. “I know it’s important to our people.” When I ask Thompson why, it’s almost like it’s too obvious to answer. “Well, I guess, it’s what everyone does. It’s what we’re surrounded by, especially for the kids.
We kind of use lacrosse as a vehicle to help the kids stay on a clear path.” Many Iroquois boys are given lacrosse sticks before they can walk. It’s not just sport, it’s sacred.
After the practice, the players gather in a circle with the team’s spiritual advisor, Tracy Shenandoah. They pass a tobacco pipe and a thermos of medicinal tea. It’s a private ceremony, but Shenandoah agrees to explain it to me.
Oren Lyons, Onondaga Faith Keeper, was the force behind organizing the first international championship hosted by a sovereign indigenous nation. Photo: David Sommerstein.
Lacrosse at this level is aggressive and physical. The competition is fierce and stressful. Shenandoah says these rituals are a part of the balance of playing the sport. To help strengthen our minds, because a good mind prevails in this game,” says Shenandoah. “To refrain from anger, frustration, refrain from trying to deliberately hurt somebody else playing, that they come out of the game in a good mind and not be angry or hurt feelings.
And it’s just a good protection for all our minds and our spirits.”
The Iroquois players’ approach to the game interests a lot of non-native lacrosse fans here. You can tell by the brisk sales of Iroquois Nationals t-shirts in the merchandise tent.
Mamie David, an Akwesasne Mohawk who lives on Cornwall Island near Massena, volunteers selling merchandise for the Nationals. “I started when my son made the U-19 team and he went to Japan,” says David. David says when fans buy a shirt, they ask about Iroquois history and symbolism and the role of lacrosse in the culture. “In travelling to different countries, people are still surprised that we’re alive, that they didn’t kill us all, that we’re still thriving all over America and Canada. They’re happy that we shared our game with them, and they want to support us any way they can.”
When the Iroquois Nationals travel, they use Iroquois passports in recognition of their sovereign status. In 2010, they were denied entry to England and had to sit out a major tournament.
Here, the tables are turned. Each visiting player has to check in at the Onondaga Nation immigration office and get their passport stamped.
Dillon Ningle, Australia’s goalie, says playing lacrosse where it was born is different. “It’s got a different feel, for sure. You’re not just playing here. You’re doing it for everything that it stands for as well.”
The Onondaga Nation invested $4 million to host the games, including constructing this new airy arena on the territory. Photo: David Sommerstein.
The visiting players learn this is a game from the Creator that can heal as well as entertain, says Oren Lyons. “This game is more than a game for us. In our cosmology, it was played on the other side of the stars when the Earth was still covered with water. That’s how old the game is in our perspective.”
Lyons sits on the Onondaga Nation council of chiefs, is a former lacrosse standout himself, and a longtime indigenous rights leader around the world. He pushed hard for the Nation to invest more than $4 million to put on these games.
When he talks about the meaning of hosting them, he circles back to far bigger issues than sport—climate change, refugees, war and violence. In the end, Lyons says, lacrosse offers these national teams—and all nations—a lesson. “Not to say they don’t play fiercely with one another, but the theme is world peace. Put your guns down, pick up a stick, y’know. I mean, we literally used to do that. We would settle… nations would settle a difference with a game.”
Each of the three times this world championship has been played since 2003, the Iroquois Nationals have come out second to Canada.
Back in the arena, Lenny Bennett cheers on his Iroquois Nationals, wearing a Buffalo Bills cap. He’s from the Seneca Nation, another Iroquois tribe near Buffalo. “This is a once in a lifetime event here, for us.”
Bennett tells me the story of the white pine tree, the Tree of Peace, which was planted here in Onondaga, where the nations of the Iroquois, or Haudenoshaunee, first came together.
