Lacrosse and Wars

Modern day lacrosse resembles and descends from a game known as stickball, which was played by various Native American communities in the Adirondacks. Unlike many nations today, lacrosse was not merely a recreational sport for the Native Americans. Stickball played a significantly more serious and spiritual role in Native American culture and sometimes was even used to settle disputes with other tribes. The ceremonies players performed before their games were also notably similar to those performed just before a war, often entering games covered in war paint and charcoal. As modern day lacrosse evolved from Indian stickball many of the tribal and warlike aspects of the game did too. At any modern day lacrosse event one can easily notice the chanting, yelling, aggression, and the sense of protection one feels for their own team.

Not only has modern lacrosse evolved from the ceremonial and spiritual aspects of Native American lacrosse, but the general landscape of the game has also changed. The Indian’s stick-ball games could last several days and their playing space sometimes extended through woods and mountains with the two goals as far as six miles apart. In the picture below, one can see the masses that participated in a game, as well as the vast space it took up. Today, lacrosse is played on flat grass or turf that is comparable in size to a football field. And albeit the landscape and size of the game have changed immensely since Native Americans first played stickball in the Adirondacks, modern day lacrosse clearly evolved from the game the natives played in the mountains. It is a great example of another Adirondack activity, which once served a practical purpose, such as settling disputes, but that is now played on a purely recreational basis.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_lacrosse#/media/File:George_Catlin_-_Ball-play_of_the_Choctaw--Ball_Up_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

http://www.uslacrosse.org/about-the-sport/history.aspx