History of lacrosse

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It has been suggested that Stickball (Native American) be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

"An Indian Ball-Play" by George Catlin, circa 1846-1850. Native American lacrosse games often involved hundreds of players.

Lacrosse has its origins in a tribal game played by Plains Indians and Woodlands Natives in what is now the United States and Canada. The game has been modernized extensively by European immigrants to create its current form.

[edit] Native American origins

Lacrosse was created by Native Americans. Its name was dehuntshigwa'es in Onondaga ("men hit a rounded object"), da-nah-wah'uwsdi in Eastern Cherokee ("little war"), Tewaarathon in Mohawk language ("little brother of war"), and baaga`adowe in Ojibwe ("bump hips").^[1]

Lacrosse is the oldest team sport in North America and possibly the world. There is evidence that a version of lacrosse originated in Mesoamerica or Mexico as early as the 1100s.^[2][3] Native American lacrosse was played throughout modern Canada and America, but was most popular around the Great Lakes and Eastern seaboard.

Traditional lacrosse games were sometimes major events that could last several days. As many as 100 to 1,000 men from opposing villages or tribes would participate. The games were played in open plains located between the two villages, and the goals could range from 500 yards to several miles apart.^[4]

Rules for these games were decided on the day before. Generally there was no out-of-bounds, and the ball could not be touched with the hands. The goals would be selected as large rocks or trees; in later years wooden posts were used. Playing time was often from sun up to sun down.

"Ball players" painted by George Catlin

"Ball-play Dance" by George Catlin, 1834. Before the match, players and their supporters passed the night in singing, dancing, and soliciting divine support.

Pre-game rituals were very similar to rituals associated with war. Players would decorate their bodies with paint and charcoal. Players also decorated their sticks or stick racks with objects representing qualities desired in the game. Strict taboos were held on what players could eat before a game, and the medicine man performed rituals to prepare players and their sticks. The night before a game, players wore ceremonial costumes and held a special dance. Sacrifices were held, and sacred expressions were yelled to intimidate opponents.^[5]

On the day of the game, teams walked to the field and were slowed by constant rituals. One ceremony was "going to water," in which players dunked their sticks in water and the shaman gave a spiritual and strategic pep talk. Sometimes players would receive ceremonial scratches on their arms or torso.^[6]

Before the game, every player was required to place a wager. Items such as handkerchiefs, knives, trinkets, horses, and even wives and children would be at stake. The bets would be displayed on a rack near the spectators, and items would be awarded proportionally to the winner of each quarter.^[7][8]

The game began with the ball being tossed into the air and the two sides rushing to catch it. Because of the large number of players involved, these games generally tended to involve a huge mob of players swarming the ball and slowly moving across the field. Passing the ball was thought of as a trick, and it was seen as cowardly to dodge an opponent.^[9]

The medicine men acted as coaches, and the women of the tribe were usually limited to serving refreshments to the players.^[10] (There was also a women's version of lacrosse called amtah, which used much shorter sticks with larger heads.^[11]) When the game was over another ceremonial dance took place, along with a large feast for the hungry players.

Lacrosse traditionally had many different purposes. Some games were played to settle inter-tribal disputes. This function was essential to keeping the Six Nations of the Iroquois together. Lacrosse was also played to toughen young warriors for combat, for recreation, as part of festivals, and for the bets involved. Finally, lacrosse was played for religious reasons: "for the pleasure of the Creator" and to collectively pray for something.^[12]

Lacrosse sticks by tribe: a. Iroquois b. Passamaquoddy c. Chippewa d. Cherokee.

[edit] Equipment

Some early lacrosse balls were made out of wood. Others were made of deerskin stuffed with hair.^[13] They were typically three inches in diameter.^[14]

The first lacrosse sticks were essentially giant wooden spoons with no netting.^[15] A more advanced type had one end bent into a 4 to 5 inch diameter circle, which was filled with netting.^[16] This netting was made of wattup or deer sinew.^[17] The most recent Native American sticks use a U-shape instead of a circle.

These sticks were bent into shape after being softened through steaming, and lengths typically ranged from 2 to 5 feet.^[18] Lacrosse sticks often had elaborate carvings on them intended to help players in the game.^[19] Lacrosse sticks were so treasured that many players requested to be buried with their stick beside them.^[20]

Some versions of lacrosse used unusual stick designs. In the St. Lawrence Valley a version was played in which the head took up two thirds of the stick. In the Southeast a double-stick version was played with sticks about two and a half feet long.^[21]

No protective equipment was worn in traditional lacrosse.^[22]

[edit] European involvement

Richmond Hill "Young Canadians" lacrosse team, 1885.

The first westerners to encounter lacrosse were French Jesuit missionaries in the St. Lawrence Valley. During the 1630s, they witnessed the game and condemned it. They were opposed to lacrosse because it was violent, betting was involved, and it was part of the religion they sought to eradicate.^[23]

One missionary, Jean de Brébeuf, was the first to write about lacrosse and thus gave it its name. He described the Huron Indians playing in 1636. Some say the name originated from the French term for field hockey, le jeu de la crosse.^[24] Others suggest that it was named after the crosier, a staff carried by bishops.^[25]

Despite Jesuit opposition, many other European colonists were intrigued by lacrosse. Betting on games became common, and around 1740 many French colonists were taking up the game. However, they could not match the skill of the Native Americans.^[26]

One infamous chapter in the history of lacrosse occurred in 1763. At that time, after Canada had become British, the game was used by the Native Americans to carry out an ingenious stratagem. On the 4th of June, when the British garrison of Fort Michilimackinac (now Mackinac) was celebrating the king's birthday, it was invited by the Ottawas, under their chief Pontiac, to witness a game of "baggataway" (lacrosse). The players gradually worked their way close to the gates, when, throwing aside their crosses and seizing their tomahawks which the women suddenly produced from under their blankets, they rushed into the fort and massacred all the inmates except a few Frenchmen.^[27]

In 1834 a team of Caughnawaga Indians demonstrated lacrosse in Montreal. Although response to the demonstrations was not overwhelming, interest in lacrosse steadily grew in Canada.^[28]

In 1856, Dr. William George Beers, a Canadian dentist, founded Montreal Lacrosse Club. He codified the game in 1867 to shorten the length of each game, reduce the number of players, use a redesigned stick, and use a rubber ball. The first game played under Beers' rules was at Upper Canada College in 1867, with Upper Canada College losing to the Toronto Cricket Club by a score of 3–1. During the 1860s lacrosse became Canada's national game.

The first overseas exhibition games were played in 1867. In 1876, Queen Victoria witnessed an exhibition game and was impressed, saying "The game is very pretty to watch." Her endorsement was enough for many English girls' schools to adopt the sport in the 1890s.^[29]

As lacrosse grew, opposition to its violent aspects was a major obstacle. The game was banned in some areas when, in 1900, Choctaw Indians attached lead weights to their sticks to use them as skull-crackers.^[30]

By the 1900s, many high schools, colleges and universities had adopted lacrosse as a league sport. Lacrosse became an Olympic sport for the 1904 and 1908 Summer Olympics, but was then dropped as an official sport. After 1908 lacrosse was a sport in the World Games. In the 1930s, an indoor version of the game, box lacrosse, was introduced in Canada. It quickly became the dominant form of the sport in that country.

A "pee wee" game in progress

In the United States, the sport enjoys its greatest popularity along the east coast, especially in Maryland (where it became the state's official team sport in 2004), Delaware, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and other parts of New England. However, its popularity has started to spread west to Colorado, California, Texas, and the Midwest, spurred by the sport's increasing visibility in the media, the growth of college and high school programs, and youth or "pee wee" leagues throughout the country. Currently, there are only two NCAA Division I men's lacrosse teams west of the Mississippi River: Air Force and University of Denver. The growth of lacrosse was also facilitated by the introduction of plastic heads invented by Baltimore-based stick maker STX in the 1970s. This innovation reduced the weight and cost of the stick, and allowed for faster passes and gameplay.

[edit] Sources

• Lacrosse History
• History of Lacrosse

[edit] References